


Predator: The Scavenger

by KaterinaWinters



Series: My Predator World [1]
Category: Alien vs Predator (2004), Aliens vs Predators Series - Various Authors, Predator, Predators (2010), The Predator (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Dubious Consent, F/M, Oral Sex, Romance, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Yautja
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-10-07 23:56:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17375630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaterinaWinters/pseuds/KaterinaWinters
Summary: She knew she shouldn't follow him. She should have ran when he nearly killed her. She should have left the hunter alone. But it was too late, she was on his radar now and there was no stopping the angry creature…and she didn't want to.





	1. 1

Chapter 1

Grabbing her helmet, she stepped up to the pressurized airlock as she snapped the helmet ring around the collar to her suit. Activating the button in her gloves, her helmet sent a small almost inaudible beep into her ear before the ion infused quartz shield formed a dome over her head. Once the under-helmet was in place another beep signaled the outer shield forming. Sleek, shiny, and black the outer helmet was a lot like sparrow bike helmets designed for speed and to be aerodynamic. 

Suited up, she activated the door and stepped out onto the small bridge as the door shut and airlocked behind her. About thirty feet below her was her target, a large twelve crew Corverian battle craft. Turning she glanced at the black unmarked triangular fighter cruiser floating silently next to the battle craft. She smiled to herself as she wondered how today’s “meeting” was going to end this time. It was always a surprise with big Red.

Looking at her data readouts on the screen of her arm unit, she confirmed Red’s location on the large Corverian craft floating below her and propelled herself downward. The thirty-three overlapping programs she coded by hand and installed on her own smaller interceptor-class cruiser was running like a charm, neither the Corverian ship or Red’s ship could sense her ship’s presence. Walking lightly along the battle ship’s surface she moved quickly along the ship.

Inside the ship was eerily quiet. Too quiet for a twelve-crew ship that was over capacity by five by her initial readout’s intel, though she knew the cause of that. Walking silently along the dim corridor she turned the first corner to see a black hand print of Corverian blood trailing down the wall into a much large blood trail. Red was always so damn violent. Shaking her head, she continued forward. Reading the intel on her screen, she hurried forward making sure to avoid the rooms she knew Red wanted. The preliminary readouts in her helmet told her there was no life forms on the ship other than herself, but her own modified program told her that was incorrect. 

There was supposedly no system in the universe that could track Red and his kind, and if there was no one dumb enough to advertise the fact even if they could. Risk-taking coupled with having the largest most unhealthy obsession with her nemesis prompted her to break the unspoken galactic rule and create one for herself. If one was going to follow Red to the ends of the universe one damn well better be prepared to track him properly. Stepping over another thick black blood trail leading down another corridor that led to mostly likely to the control deck she continued forward. You did not want to be caught unawares by him.

Opening the door to the engine room, she smiled at the untouched equipment. Bless Red’s large lime green pumping, eight chambered heart. Luckily for her, the guy never claimed hardware, machinery, or any cargo for himself. The big bastard wasn’t interested in things like that, Red wanted two things: kills and information.

Being quick, she started to detach the power cells and black matter cables. Loading them up near the bay doors she opened the hatch to the cargo hold. Glancing inside cautiously, she exhaled when her scans read that the room was empty. Running over to the first holding dock she began rummaging through the crates. Junk guns, subpar explosives, jars full of contraband uranium fusion glow worms—score! Pulling at the heavy crate, a beep signaled in her ear.

Before she even turned around, she activated the shield. 

A crashing sizzling bang against her shield stole her breath as she stumbled backward onto the crate full of the glow worms to see Red looming over her.

The shield she designed went from floor to ceiling and concaved around her at a width of six feet. Catching her breath, she stood back up slowly and faced the giant creature.

“Hey there Red,” she said chipperly through her helmet. 

Well over seven feet tall with reptilian gray scaled skin, Red’s half chest armor Pauldron piece and matching plated shoulder pieces revealed most of his large chest and sculpted abs. With matching greaves, gauntlets, and a plated metal skirt the creature’s armor was downright skimpy in her opinion. All along his bare gray scaly flesh were bright red tattoos engraved deeply into his skin. The tattoos were the main reason why she had been affectionally calling him Red, since he refused to give her his actual name.

Lifting both his big fist again, he slammed it against her shield. She could feel the pressure of the shield sliding back towards her pushing her further into the crate and up against the cargo hold wall.

“Come on Red,” she tried in her most upbeat convincing voice. “I stayed out of your way this time, I didn’t even attempt to copy their system information since you almost killed me last time for that.”

The heavy growl coming from his helmet was very much a warning at the mere mention of that encounter. The dark silver metal of his plain unadorned face plate was extremely disconcerting. Only the blue gleam from the two evil upturned eye shields glowed at her with silent hatred. With a large sloping head and black rubbery dread like appendages that hung down his back, the large creature was more than simply fearsome to behold, he was down right terrifying. If it wasn’t for her enhanced suit, she was sure the creature would smell her fear even now. Because as much as she looked forward to her little run-ins with the space predator she could never be sure when he was going to tire of her and rip her spine out like he did the rest of his victims. No doubt, the control room was a fucking blood bath right now, filled with headless spineless corpses hung from the ceiling like a string of lights.

“And,” the smile in her voice was evident as she raised a finger to point out. “This time I didn’t even secretly spy on you as you slaughtered the crew.”

Red took a menacing step forward, completely unfazed by the shock coating on her shield. He simply allowed it to sizzle and pop off the expanse of his chest without so much as a flinch, pushing her yet again further against the wall.

“Red,” she whined, getting a little nervous now. Normally by now he would growl at her before whipping his hair around and walking off. “I’m no threat to you,” she lifted her hands up to either side. “And you don’t’ want any of this stuff in cargo, right?”

Lifting up the lid to the case with her foot she showed him the glow worms.

His head turned minutely towards the worms before settling back on her silently. A beep went off on her arm that they both heard. Glancing down at her arm screen she groaned.

“Look big guy, we need to go. There are a bunch of nasty pirates on their way. And I mean awful,” her body got antsy just at the thought of waiting another minute in this ship as sitting ducks. “You know the Blute crew, a bunch of vile cannibalistic rapist. I would much rather have you kill me then have to be here when those assholes arrive. So…” she stepped forward cautiously, still keeping the shield between them. “Can I please get this stuff and we leave?”

Another long clicking growl emanated from his helmet before he simply disappeared.

Blinking a few times, she smiled. “So damn cool,” she whispered.

Deactivating her shield, she hustled and got everything she wanted to the cargo bay doors and released the hatch. With her stuff contained in an atmospheric sealed crate, she and the supplies were thrown out of the ship. Calling her ship’s tethering cord, she pulled herself and her supplies to her ship. Standing on the large crate as she held onto the cord she watched as Red’s ship backed away from the now dead battle ship and turned around, giving her a face to face view at the ship’s cockpit. The black glass of the cockpit blinked clear allowing her to see in, standing there with his arms crossed and helmet off she stared into the orange glowing eyes of Red. His ship was backing away and preparing to thrust forward, but his gaze remained locked on her. 

This was the second time she had seen Red without a helmet and it was no less breathtaking. His large sloping head was crowned in tiny dark gray spikes along the edges where his dreads meet his head. His tiny orange eyes were sharp and pinpointing with their tiny beady black pupils and lack of surrounding sclera. Though the most unsettling part of Red and the rest of his kind was his large tusked mandibles that opened and closed over his inner fanged mouth. 

He was without a doubt a monster.

A killing machine, that should not be messed with.

Someone she should avoid at all cost.

But she always did resent following the rules. She was, Ember of Faulk9 and she didn’t follow rules. That’s why she had no problem boldly admitting that she positively, and without a doubt had a huge crush on Red.


	2. Chapter 2

The human female skirted death.

This day’s bounty was for all the remaining member of the Corverian resistance. This planet, classified as CI90, a small world in the ninth quadrant of the Secca galaxy and it was home to the Corverian base station Akur was contracted to take out. Minutes ago, he had watched her tiny ship break through the clouds and land a few kilometers to the east, just minutes from his own ship. For the past few months, wherever he would go he could count on the fact that she was trailing not too far behind. That could only mean the human had a way of tracking him—and that should not have been possible.

Though he had never seen her face, Akur was positive it was a human female that persisted in following him to each bounty. He knew she was female by her diminutive statue, rounded features, and the pitch of her voice. He also knew she was human by the shape of her body and her personality. She was annoying. With each encounter he considered the various options in which he would kill her, but each one left him dissatisfied. Akur had to find her a perfect death, one suitable for her unrelenting bothersome personality.

Crouching in the thorny purple trees he watched as her lithe figure slink carefully through the darkness. In her arms, she carried a carbine rifle. Enhancing his screen in his mask, he zoomed in on the long rifle and noted its suppression nozzle, which would make every shot nearly inaudible to standard hearing.

Good. She would need the gun today.

#

Taking cover behind the wall, Ember grimaced at the loud reports of gunfire hitting the rhodium plated steel wall next to her. Goddamn that big red bastard! Though she wasn’t sure yet, she had a gut feeling she was trapped in this corridor by a group of hostile and very much alive Corverian assholes due to the big surly yautja setting her up.

She did everything just as she always did when she tailed the big beautiful red hunter; she found his location, waited for him to land, gave him thirty minutes to clean house and then swooped in behind him. That was there system, regardless if he agreed to it or not. It was why she renamed her ship the Plover. A bird of terrestrial planet origins that forms a symbiotic relationship with crocodiles. The crocodile kills and devours its prey and then proceeds to kindly open its mouth and allow the plover bird to clean its teeth, thus feeding the bird. A perfect description of her and Red’s relationship!

Reloading her rifle, Ember bent her knees and slid her back lower against the wall until she was a few feet lower from where the Corverian were firing.

“Red you are being one lousy crocodile right now,” she mumbled aloud before quickly swinging out of cover and taking five precise shots.

One Corverian down and one wounded in the arm.

Angry roars from the alien beasts echoed off the walls. By her scans there were eight more of the things still alive. On entering the base, she took out one that surprised her and quickly took out three more that came running at the first one’s gunfire. A moving red dot on the base’s map alerted her to movement to the connecting hallway connected to the one she was hiding in.

“Shit!” grabbing a frag-grenade out of her pack on her back she tossed it down the hall where the mouth of the hallway she was in opened up to the mouth of the other hall just as the red dot hit the corner. Not waiting a second longer, she jumped out of cover and laid down some cover fire to the four Corverian assholes hiding behind the barricade to the control room up ahead. Switching the mode on her gun, she launched an incendiary grenade at the bastards. The ricocheting explosion from the hall, that she just vacated, told her the frag-grenade just went off, hopefully the eight-inch metal spikes that shot out did their job. The red dot wasn’t moving, meaning it was still alive but down for now.

Vaulting over the barricade she shot at the large beast in her sights. The Corverian were all lot like shaved bipedal bears with humongous red eyes. Vibrations under her feet, were her only warning before Ember felt herself being knocked hard to the ground by another Corverian rushing her from her right. Scrambling to fight past the dizzying trauma of being hit by a giant four-hundred-pound alien bear she lifted her gun, which was still blessedly in her hand to aim. Red eyes blazed bright as the bear landed on top of her, crushing the barrel of her gun to her breasts with both of its claws, trapping her hands beneath the weapon. Ember screamed in anger inside her helmet as she watched the creature snap its teeth at the dome of her helmet, leaving long wet saliva streaks along the surface. The pressure against her chest was becoming unbearable and the warning sensors from her suit were flashing like mad across her screen in her helmet. The armor was rapidly giving way to the pressure. She designed the armor of her suit to withstand only so much damage in order to keep it light and functional, not to deal with a giant bear attempting to maul her to death. Pain shot through her chest as the armor reached twenty percent integrity. Kicking, did nothing to the creature. Heavy footsteps vibrated from behind her head and she knew any second its pals were about to join in the fun. It was a known fact if given a choice the Corverian would rather maul their enemies rather than shoot them.

Blood sprayed across her helmet blinding momentarily her. The feeling of the bear’s weight being lifted off her gave her a chance to finally move. With the integrity of her suit no longer compromised, her suit sent out a pulse of static energy, burning off the blood on her helmet until it fell away to dust. Rolling forward to her feet and away from the other Corverian, she knew that were approaching, she turned on her heel in a crouch and fired at the two bears before they could reach for their own guns again.

Breathing heavily, Ember tried to work through the spike of adrenaline that was rushing through her system. Looking up, all her best efforts in calming herself were stamped out when she saw the familiar eight-foot figure standing over the decapitated Corverian. With two long, slightly curved blades, one in each hand Red stood tall and imposing staring down at her with his glowing blue eyes from his helmet.

Popping up to a full standing position she let her gun rest back on her shoulder as she pointed accusingly at him. “Red, if you think I am going to thank you for screwing me you have another thing coming. This was so sneaky and rude! I thought we had an unspoken arrange…Shit!!” The red dot appeared on her screen just as the firing started. 

Leaping over a dead Corverian, she used an overturned table for cover. Shit, shit, shit, there were more of those bastards left and she totally forgot. Taking a steadying breath, she dropped to her stomach and aimed the gun past the table. 

The shots had stopped. Still staring down her sights she watched Red walk back down from the hallway where the gunshots were previously coming from carrying two Corverian heads in one hand. Well—ok then. Getting up, she refrained from continuing her tirade at Red as she scanned the base’s map for any more life signatures.

“Hey Red,” she whispered, still focused on the oddly empty map. Hearing his low clicking growl, she resisted the urge to smile like an idiot and looked in his direction. “Did you by chance kill the last the three already?

Dreads swung gently as he gave her a negative shake of his head.

Flexing her hand against her rifle’s handle, Ember changed the maps to the outside perimeter of the base. Three red dots directly overhead!

“Red, above!” she only had time to yell before the skylights above shattered and the floor shook as one of the large beasts dropped down in front of her. There were only seconds to make the decision. She could stand and fight them with Red, who was far more skilled and proficient at close quarter fighting and hope another one didn’t land behind her and tackle her or she could cloak herself. If she cloaked herself she would have a whole helluva a lot of issues to deal with after the fact. The options were: most likely sustain serious injuries and try to fight with Red or cloak herself and hope she could out run one an angry yautja.

Glass crunching above her signaled time had run out and the decision needed to be made.

Activating her cloaking device, she disappeared from sight. The resulting loud shrieking roar from the yautja told her Red saw what she did. She had to move fast. Running past the unsuspecting Corverian, she shot it in the head as she ran back down the main corridor towards the front entrance. The singing slash of Red’s blade cried out against the suddenly still air and she could hear the gurgling groan from the alien bear before the loud thump of his body hit the ground. The loud pounding footsteps down the corridor behind her told her the other bear must have been killed as well because she was now the yautja’s prime focus.

Barely slowing down, she slapped the entry button on the wall and raced out the crack of the opening door, not wasting one second for it to open any further. The thought of turning to lock the pursuing eight-foot predator inside crossed her mind but she didn’t dare take that chance. Yautja’s were crazy fast and the longer they ran the faster they got, she needed to hustle. Panting she let go of her gun, letting it magnetize to her back and used her arms to pump herself even faster towards the tree line where her ship was stashed. Looking at the giant red marker on her map she wanted to scream as she watched it getting rapidly closer behind her. Though she was sure he couldn’t see her not even with his biometric tech and other various scans in his helmet, Ember was positive it was the simple fact that her footprints along the planet’s sandy surface that was giving her exact escape route away.

A high pitch whine hit the air before a blue pulse of energy shot over her shoulder and past her.

“Are you shooting at me!?!” she yelled back. Ember was shocked, she really didn’t think this warranted him actually trying to kill her. 

Another blue pulsing shot whizzed past her over her head. Thank the gods he was a terrible aim, she thought.

Red flashing warnings on her helmet screen blared in her ears as she skidded to a halt just as two giant purple trees came crashing down in front of her. Falling backward she hit the ground. Fuck! 

She didn’t even have time to turn over before the looming shadow blocked out the sun and a heavy hand grabbed her by the throat. Immediately the cloaking was interrupted and blinked away revealing her fully to the hulking masked predator.

“Red!” she cried out, as she grasped at his clawed hand around her neck.

The grip wasn’t tight but it was solid like steel, covering her whole neck and wrapping easily around until his claws touched at the back. If he wanted, he could pop her head off without so much as a sneeze.

“Where did you obtain our technology?” The feral words rolled over her.

All her movements stopped and her hands fell away from his around her neck. Stiff and perfectly still her body laid there under his hand, his blue glowing eyes staring at his own reflection through the gleam of her black helmet.

“Oh. My. God.” She began evenly. “You can speak!?! Oh my God I can’t believe it. How long have you been able to speak? Why haven’t you ever said anything to me all the times before? Is this a recording of another’s voice I know that some of you guys simply record some of your victim’s speech and play it back…”

The grip around her throat tightened painfully cutting off her air supply.

Clutching again at his hand, she beat against his arm uselessly. “Red, please,” she choked out.

His grip loosened but he retained his hold around her neck. Bending further over her, he lowered his mask even closer to hers. “Answers,” he growled in warning.

Coughing she ignored the burning of her throat and lifted her arm slowly at her side accidently bumping it against his thigh. His left hand shot out and grabbed her wrist with the similar looking personal computer attached to it, bringing it up to his view. 

“I got it off a planet in Andromeda 7, a planet your kind used in one of your old hunting trials.” She coughed again, her throat really hurt. “Though you guys bombed it, to clear out the evidence and to eradicate yourself of all the remaining xenomorphs, you still left a few goodies behind.” Not seeing any reaction from him she nervously continued. “I have been collecting stuff that your kind leaves here and there across the galaxy for a few years now.”

“Your cloaking is different.” His words were so deep and each one was followed by a faint clicking sound from his chest.

It was glorious.

“Well, yeah,” she tried to smile and remembered he couldn’t see her face. “I made some minor adjustments.” She didn’t dare say improvements.

“Tracking my ship,” he added. Ember never heard anyone make a question sound like a command like the way he did.

“That was all me there,” she answered with a note of pride. “I spend a lot of time in space—alone. I mean a lot Red, too much really. So, I had plenty of time to create that little bit of awesome sauce.”

He didn’t say anything, he just stared down at her before turning to look at the computer on her wrist. Sliding his hand down over her the device he wrapped his thick clawed fingers around it and began to pull.

“Please don’t!” she cried trying to tug at her wrist trapped in his grasp. “You have no idea how long it took me to find that and modify it. Please! That cloaking has gotten me out of a ton of near death situations.”

She hated to beg, but she really needed that unit. There was no way she could afford to go galaxy jumping and take her chances finding another one and most likely find an upgraded one that would be a bitch to hack.

The tugging at her unit thankfully stopped but he didn’t let go, he turned back to stare at her. The evil glowing eye shields of his mask glowed with impatience.

“Look Red, I’m not a threat to you and I certainly wouldn’t make a good trophy to put on your wall,” not getting an answer she tried another tactic. “Red you’re obviously a top of the line badass so you probably don’t have to worry about these things but a woman traveling alone through space needs all the help she can get. I cannot even begin to tell you how many things want to fuck you against your will out there, its crazy really.” 

She wasn’t lying, the cloaking device had gotten her out of three situations with some of the Blute crew alone. 

He didn’t say anything. With every second that ticked by her heart felt as if it was going to explode in her chest from the mounting anxiety. Fine! She didn’t want to do it the hard way but the big bastard gave her no choice.

“Red?” she started gently.

His head cocked a fraction to the side, telling her he was listening.

“You know I like you right, I think you’re the best truly I do,” preparing herself, she took a calming breath as she activated her suit. “And that’s why I really hate to put you on your ass like this.”

His grip didn’t get a chance to tighten before she lifted her legs underneath his arm and to his flank and forced all the remaining power in her suit to her thrusters in her boots. As expected the yautja’s body flew up and to the side. Ember didn’t wait to hear the thud of his big body in the dirt, springing up she began running with everything she had using the last remaining percentage of power in her suit to cloak herself again. Not making the same mistake twice, Ember glided over the fallen tree limbs of the thorny purple forest as she tapped into and activated the Corverian’s outdoor base speakers from her computer. 

Red’s high pitch roar was deafening, she could hear the planet’s nearby avian population take flight from the trees and flutter to the sky.

Still running at top speed, she spoke into the base’s speakers knowing the yautja could hear her. “Don’t be mad Red.” Ember could hear her voice echo through the air from the base in the distance. “I really didn’t want to make you any angrier, though I must admit I really should be the one angry at you for screwing me today with those damn bears. I thought we had an unspoken agreement.”

Ember only prayed her voice ringing from the base’s speakers muffled her footfalls enough to throw off the hunter. Seeing her ship up ahead she knew not to run straight for it, instead she made a b-line to the yautja ship instead as she hurriedly typed in a command in her arm unit. A crash in the trees to her far right told her she was right, the damn hunter had every intention to cut her off at her ship. 

The whoosh of air from her ship’s thrusters activating sounded in the distance. Rising up from the ground her ship flew ahead of her. The heavy footfalls of the yautja were coming up fast behind her.

With one mighty lunge, she planted her foot on the yautja ship, another big step forward propelled her upwards and another lunging step hiked her up the side of the steep bodied ship. On top she ran along the back before taking a thrusted jump off the side and grabbing on to the cable hanging from her ship above. Activating the cable, she pulled herself in while signaling to the ship to fly away. 

Risking a look down she watched the yautja as he looked at her from atop of his ship. Her heart nearly burst in fear and excitement knowing that the hunter had only been steps behind her at the end. Clamoring onto her ship’s dock she stared back at the hunter and noticed his shoulder canon was not aiming at her.

A sigh of relief deflated her chest. He was allowing her to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -A/N-  
> [All my work comes out first on tumbler, its under my name so its easy to find me.]


	3. Chapter 3

(So have you forgiven me yet?)

Setting down the blue gelatin severed head of the Cindaria bounty he just collected, Akur took his seat at his ship’s controls and stared at the message on his screen. Red symbols that should only be sent from another member of his clan were hovering as a notification on his screen. For the last three bounties there had been a similar message waiting for him each time he returned to his ship. 

Each time he ignored it.

Deleting the message from his screen, he guided his ship away from the adrift Cindarian ship. Looking at his scanner he suppressed a growl of frustration at its empty results. Scans of space around him reported that it was clear for thousands of leagues and that his ship was the only active ship with lifeforce in the area. That was a lie. He knew she was out there, waiting for him to leave so she could come behind him and snatch up the miscellaneous items she would find on the Cindarian ship.

Annoyed, he whipped around in his seat towards the navigation panel and set his ship for the next course. He shouldn’t be giving that little scavenger a second thought unless it was the thought on killing her. Clenching his fist against the dash of his controls, Akur involuntarily remembered the surprise he felt as his body flew in the air and he landed on his back in the dirt. Her husky sounding taunt still haunted him! 

“…I really hate to put you on your ass like this.”

Disgraceful!! He had to refrain from denting the metal edge of the control panel with his fist. The last time he had been thrown on his back he was but a hatchling, sparring with the others his age barely reaching to his father’s knee. The fact that one tiny human female had just done it, blinded him with fury.

He was going to kill her, he was sure of that now. 

There still was no understanding as to why he saved her from the Corverian that had her pinned down back on that planet. Killing the animal had been pure instinct, a reactionary move, though now looking back on it he should have let the creature maul her to death. Maybe it would have ripped her out of that shiny black suit and helmet and Akur could have seen her face for the first time as she died. The idea of that type of death for her was unfitting though, her death would be by his hand alone. 

A satisfied noise rumbled from his chest as a sense of elation hit him at the prospect of the new hunt. Pulling up a picture of her in her black suit, a picture his own mask recorded of her on their last encounter, he stared at it on the large screen above. Technically he should have killed her the moment he found out she possessed his species’ information and technology but he let his curiosity of the woman interfere with his good judgement.

That would not happen again.

#

(So, I take it you’re still mad, since you nearly tried to kill me the other day when you set off the explosive fuel tanks on that planet. And though I should really be the one angry at you, for screwing me over initially, I just want you to know I forgive you. By the way, do you like eggs? For some reason you look like you would like eggs.)

Blowing the fuel tanks was not an attempt to kill the scavenger, it was merely a tactic Akur played since he knew she was following him. If he wanted her dead she would have been, he was simply toying with her and biding his time. It was entertaining to watch the human female change her plans in a hurry once she realized the ship was about to blow. Ever since the Corvarian base, she had been giving him a wide berth coming in after he had left to collect her items, last time he decided to double back to wait and watch her reaction to the impending explosion.

Though despite the attempt on her life, the messages never ceased. If anything, he felt as if they increased. The one-sided conversation was never ending. Anything from endless questions about his likes and dislikes, to begging him to forgive her, to talk and speak human tongue again, and even sometimes voice messages. He never replied to any of them. Sometimes as he listened to her long rambling voice message, he considered she may be weak in the mind. A failure in the brain that some human’s experienced with prolonged periods in space with no contact. She did admit to him that she was lonely and it would explain her puzzling infatuation.

Forcing himself not to think of her, Akur pulled up his next target and mapped out the destination as he read the provided information on the bounty. His clan was constantly seeking information across the known and unknown universe. Stagnation was not an option, their clan focused on building their empire with the best technology, resources, and even the best DNA. Progression was key, and to do that they needed info from as many sources as they could get their hands on.

A small chime sounded from his screen and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Looking up, Akur opened and read the latest message. 

(Will you talk to me if I just give you a copy of the program I made to track you?) He could practically hear the sigh of desperation in her voice.

Sitting still, Akur let all the possibilities play through his head. If he had the program he would have a way of tracking her, yes. But he would also be obligated to turn over that valuable information to his clan leader so their engineers could dismantle it and understand it for themselves. The demand to capture the female and bring her back to their clan leader would be decreed, there would be no more of this cat and mouse between them and he would be forced to act. Once brought forward they would torture her for information and then ultimately kill the female.

This feeling of hesitation was new and unwelcoming. He should say yes, let her give him what he needed. He would be praised by their leader, even possibly given the privilege of new responsibilities for bringing such valuable information.

Typing back, he answered simply.

[No.]

#

He should not have responded back. The messages from the human increased not only in amount but in length as well. Though despite her obvious comfort to talk to him, the human was still too wary to resume her normal scavenging in his presence. After each bounty she continued to wait until he was gone before she quickly descended on the site.

Back on his ship, Akur sat down at his control panel setting down the metal canister to his left and inserting the data chip into the panel on his right. As the new information uploaded regarding a prototype defense system created by Kloran researchers he stared at the cannister in intense silence. The Kloran data was expected, since that was his mission. Their small space station had been hit previously by pirates and was now under the protection of the Ionic Galactic Confederation of Light until the Kloran could repair and send new crew members to regain control of their station. Klorans were a small inferior race however, there was information that suggested they possessed new shielding technology. Rumor or not the possibility of such information was too valuable to ignore. He was sent to retrieve such information. Two dead IGCL guards later the data was now in Yautja command.

It was the cannister that was dangling from his ship’s airlock door that left him in a brooding mood. Turning back to his screen he checked his unread message.

(Was there anything good in there?)

(Oh and I hope you like the pickled eggs.)

His claw clicked against the buttons of his control panel as he did another fruitless sweep of the space around him—just as expected, no ships in the area registered back. Changing his screen to the outside view however proved that scan was incorrect. The human’s ship floated silently above the lifeless space station. She was no doubt inside the ship waiting him to leave before she went inside the station.

Opening the jar, he gave a disapproving growl at the strong odor that wafted up. Slamming the jar down away from him he set his next course. He knew exactly how he was going to handle his human female problem and the thought filled him with satisfaction. With each bounty, he would give the human a sense of comfort letting her come closer and feel confident again in the symbiotic relationship she believed them to have. He was going to take his time hunting this prey. And when the time was perfect he was going to reach out and rip that helmet off her head and wrap his hand around her tiny soft throat, watching the life fade from her eyes.

For now, he would bide his time.

#

Breathing heavily, his chest expanded and compressed with each breath as he stood in the thick pool of congealing dark blue blood. Splashes of bright green blood of his own splattered in the syrupy pool hitting the surface like oil on water. The gashes to his abdomen weren’t deep and could wait to be dressed on his ship. Kicking the large lumbering body of his bounty, Akur turned it over and grabbed the phials in his belt. The elder wanted these creatures’ DNA. Why they would want these inferior species’ genetic material was not understood by him. Their skin was tough and their frames were bulky with dense muscle, but they were slow and stupid making them easy to kill.

Collecting the samples, he stood up, the small chime ringing in his helmet alerted him to another message. 

(Why do you wear so little armor? You have got nothing but that tiny half chest piece on and a skirt! One day you are going to get seriously hurt.)

Reading the message, he grabbed the head of the fallen leader and walked out of the room. Passing by a corridor he paused and looked at the open door. That door was previously closed.

She was on this ship with him. 

(Did you like the eggs? They were tarkar eggs by the way.)

Staring down the hallway a few more silent seconds he whipped his head back and continued towards his ship. Lifting his arm, he typed a reply onto the holographic keyboard of his personal arm unit.

[No.]

#

Replying back to her was the equivalent of releasing a dam. He should have expected her excitement over his reply but it was hard to predict the mind of this human female. Since he was young he was trained to enter the mind of his targets, to think like they would so that he could predict their actions during the hunt. Stealth, speed, tactical maneuvering, traps, and pure strength—he was well versed in all of it. Mistakenly, he assumed all human females were generally the same, since he had never had the opportunity to hunt a female human he relied solely on the archived data at his command. None of the information they had remotely described this female.

She was bold, talkative, cunning, and unlike the information he found she did not work in packs of other humans. She seemed to prefer living her life in the solitude of space as she found new subjects to endlessly pester him with.

“So, what do you do with your time when you are not on your next hunt?” Her question ended with a small tired yawn. 

Sitting on the floor with his legs crossed he had his dismantled plasma cannon spread out in front of him. Cleaning the weapon was a calming ritual for him. It may have been even more calming if he did not allow the human’s voice over his speakers.

“I prepare for the next hunt,” he replied simply as he picked up the base of the cannon, where it connected to his armor, and began cleaning some dried-up blood that sprayed into the small grooves.

Thankfully they had finally gotten to a point where she stopped incessantly remarking on how much she liked the quality of his voice. Before he killed her, he reminded himself, he was determined to understand this female and bring enlightened notes to their data for future use.

“Ok, let me rephrase that,” he could hear the rustling of fabric and remembered she told him earlier she was lying in bed. “What do you think about that doesn’t have anything to do with a mission? And I mean,” her voice grew stern with clarification. “what do you dream about for your future?”

Pausing, he sat down the now clean base piece of his cannon and remembered the info he pulled up. Humans differed to Yautja when it came to thinking. He did not dream of his future like this female most likely did. Yautja’s futures were decided by the elders and clan leaders, everything he did was for the good of his clan not just one individual Yautja. To serve one’s self was dishonorable and they would be labeled as rogue before ultimately terminated.

“My future is set. I shall hunt, mate, breed, and eventually die.”

There was silence from her end. Looking up to the main screen, Akur could see that their connection was still stable.

“Oh…does that mean you know already who you will mate?” The soft wariness in her tone was odd. Staring at the screen he replayed her words over in his head and listened to the range of emotions he could not identify.

Resuming his work on the cannon he answered straightforwardly. “No.”

The topic of mating was not a subject he wanted to go any further on with this human female, regardless if he planned on killing her or not. For the past decade the number of yautja females has been declining—severely. It was a painful topic to bring up. None of their scientist have found a way to counteract this problem yet. Not only was the topic a painful one for his people but a heated one amongst the dwindling women population. There had been talk amongst some men, that the women should be breed as much as they could. Akur could still remember Okla a strong warrior taking her blade to the male’s throat for such a suggestion.

“Oh, well that’s cool,” the human’s upbeat tone was one almost of relief. “Well I don’t have my future as mapped out as you but I do have a dream I hope does come true one day.”

Putting the plasma cannon back together completely he listened to the sound of her voice taking a wistful tone. A tone he was sure he never heard any of his kind take. Humans seemed to be victims of their wide range of emotions, a slave to feeling and enacting everything their brains told them to. 

“One day I hope to own my own shop somewhere maybe on the surface side of a small planet or maybe a busy space port, whichever really. I just want to make and design armor, where customers from all over the galaxy come and visit me to see what new things I have made.” The excitement in her voice picked up as she detailed her plans. “I would run the shop seasonally, spending a portion of my time just like I am now hunting and gathering—hopefully in a ship where the heating coils in the life support system aren’t going out on me all the time. I should really sit down one of these days and fix this damn thing before I freeze to death, its just…”

Akur stopped listening to her, it was necessary with the human, there were just so many of her thoughts she felt compelled to share. Stepping into the cargo hold of his ship which housed his weapons and armor, he began preparing for the next hunt. At some point her incessant chatter stopped, stepping back onto the control deck of his ship he listened to the low vibrations of her sleeping respiratory system.

She talked herself asleep.

Clicking his claw against the button he ended the connection.

#

(You know you are not the first of your kind that I have had the pleasure of meeting and coming out alive to tell about it.)

He was leaning against a wall staring down through an ornate grated metal paneling to the throne room floor of his target. The emperor and his son were not scheduled to arrive until first dawn. Landing his ship during the cloak of night, he had been there for three hours already and there were many more hours until first light. The palace was filled with tall long limbed humanoid looking species, all armed with ornate curved swords and guns. Instead of following him as she did with each mission she kept her ship in orbit around the planet, she was smart enough to admit she would be nothing but a hinderance on this mission.

Unlike most of her messages this one intrigued him, but he waited for her to continue. Showing the female any sort of interest would have devastating results and would force him to move up his plans to kill her sooner rather than later, how he planned.

(I grew up on a planet called Faulk9. The planet went under a catastrophic civil war, my family and I were stuck on the opposite side of the border that contained the evacuation ships. Long story short, my parents were killed and I would have died too if the hunter didn’t save me from the rebels. Now I know what you are thinking, and no I am positive he didn’t intend on saving me but he did inadvertently and I love him for it. He was so kind he even walked slowly back through the forest letting me follow him back to the border. Too bad he couldn’t speak like you can, I never did learn his name. Do you know of any other hunter who has four marks on his cheek, I believe it would say “blooded” in your language.)

Below him, he took note of the guards changing their positions around the great room. Checking his surroundings one last time, he eventually typed in a reply to the message.

[Human, every hunter of age has that symbol on his face or neck at one point. The mark will change over time to add rank and recognition.]

(Oh. Well that is disappointing, it’s going to make it much harder to find him. By the way call me Ember. It sounds like the word “small bird” in your language. The name “human” has gotten old.)

Small bird—yes that was fitting for this talkative female.

(Maybe it will help if I describe what he looks like. I remember him clearly. Like you, he didn’t wear the full body netting like other Yautjas do and hiis skin was a light tan with dark brown…)

Akur didn’t bother reading the comment. Typing quickly, he cut off her description of the other yautja. [I do not care about this previous hunter.]

It was true, he did not care to listen to her speak of another hunter. She was his prey, not another’s. Her death, her life, even her never ending chatter belonged to him. 

Her typing stopped immediately. 

(Oh. Ok then.) 

His eyes narrowed at the short message on his screen within his helmet. There was no indication that she was typing anything else. He realized she had never been the one to end a conversation before. Normally he would end it by simply cutting her off or preventing her from sending any other messages. This was the first time she ended their dialogue willingly. Tightening his grip around his blade handle at his waist, he stared at the screen and waited.

Finally, the indication signal of her typing reappeared, and Akur felt his body relax. 

(What is your name? You know mine now.)

He thought of his name, the one his father gave him, a name that had no translation to any other language and no pronunciation in human tongue. A name that translated in his language to “unbreakable”. Looking down he could see his clan’s red markings on his skin even through the darkness of the ventilation tunnel. 

[You may continue to call me Red.]


	4. Chapter 4

It took him three days of stalking his prey to finally catch the prince alone. With the head and dripping bloody spine, Akur made it back to his ship just as the palace alarms were sounded and shot back into orbit undetected. During the last day, he had to cease communication with the female—with Ember. Clicking on the red flashing notification on his screen he noted her last message came in hours ago.

(Hey, I am not spending another night with this busted heating coil. I nearly froze to death last night. I am setting this hunk of junk down on a nearby abandoned planet.)

Scanning the area, he found that there were eight planets nearby. Out of the eight, four could support human life, three were abandoned of any sentient life, and only one had a tropical environment whereas the other was covered in snow. He knew without a doubt which one she was on.

Looking back at the message he stared at the time it was sent unseeingly. Something bothered him about it. It had been nearly five hours since that message. For weeks now, since their shared dialogue there had never been more than a few hours that went by without her accounting for each gap in time. When she woke up, she informed him. When she prepared for sleep, she informed him. Even when she showered, she announced it via message. This lone message was unusual. No update that she landed, no random useless chatter about what she found, nothing at all. 

Letting out a displeased growl, Akur set his ship’s course for the planet, following the trajectory of the last break in the planet’s dense atmosphere. When he did find her, he was going to do as he promised and permanently end this odd connection between them.

The planet was small and indeed tropical. Condensation formed on the outside of the viewing window of his ship as he brought it to a land. Opening the hatch, he kept his helmet on as he walked through the thick forest. As he landed he spied some stone ruins ahead and the familiar blue gleam of Ember’s ship sitting nearby. Scans confirmed there were no other lifeforms on the planet save for one. The odd feeling of something be wrong increased as he stared at her life marker on his readout. Normally, her armor kept her untraceable to his scans. On previous bounties, he only sensed her presence by listening and observing closely for any traces that may suggest her presence was nearby, or just simply checking the cargo hold. So, why could he see her now? 

Stepping quietly over the overgrown vines, Akur entered what looked to be an ancient abandoned city. Houses made out of clay and stone were crumbled shells of their former selves as the forest took over and swallowed the city whole with its creeping vines. Silently, he made his way to the center of the city, following his map of her life marker. As he got closer he could hear the soft drone of human music. In the middle of the city was a large square pit with numerous sets of stairs leading down to small landings before starting again to another set of stairs going down further into the pit. On all four sides dozens of stair cases zig zagged deeper and deeper into the pit passing through the depths of the clear turquoise water. This was an ancient stepwell.

Looking around, Akur confirmed the city was abandoned before walking down the steps towards a landing in the stairs just above the water’s level. Laying across the landing stretched out on a bright piece of fabric was his target. The black suit which he was used to seeing her in was gone. The sleek black domed helmet lay above her on the steps. Wearing nothing but a few thin pieces of fabric as her underwear Ember, was revealed to him fully. Long soft brown legs lay slightly apart while one arm hung limply into the blue lapping water at her right. Her dark brown hair gleamed in the sun as it lay partially over her face and fanned out on the stone beyond. Small puffs of air pulsed through the hair over her face as she breathed evenly in her sleep.

Crouching to his haunches, Akur observed the uneaten food in her other hand. The bread was stale and the canteen of water looked as if it had been overturned. Reaching forward, he grabbed her chin through her hair and turned her face letting the obstructing hair fall away giving him and unhindered view. She was young. Thick dark eyebrows to match her dark hair, a small nose, and oddly shaped lips. Through his many interactions with humans, he had never encountered lips like hers before. Still holding her chin in his grasp, he let his clawed thumb rub over the plump flesh. No residue of artificial enhancements, no firmness of foreign substance injected under the skin, just soft fatty tissue with a pink hue.

Pulling his hand away, he stared at her prone figure. Tapping into his computer on his arm he pulled up the archived information his kind had on this planet. Within seconds he found the data he was looking for. The vine that had taken over this planet produced an airborne toxin that was deadly, a sleeping death. If inhaled the toxin would render you unconscious never allowing you to wake up, forcing your body to slowly die over time. Akur was positive if he investigated further he would find ancient remains of the previous inhabitants of this planet inside some of the dwellings. 

Letting his dreads fall back over his shoulder he turned to stare at the sleeping human. He could leave her here and he would be free of his nuisance. Reaching back for her, he let his hand slide around her slim warm throat and held it as he felt the slow strum of her pulse beat beneath his palm. Or he could simply kill her now. Looking down he let his eyes trail over the soft globes of her breasts and stop at the apex at her thighs. Just underneath her underwear he could see hints of the wiry curls he knew humans had over their genitalia. For some reason the thought of her cunt covered in dark course curls sent his blood rushing. 

Snatching his hand from her neck he stood abruptly. He should just kick her into the water and watch her unconscious body spasm and quickly die. 

Letting out a sound of his displeasure, he grabbed her helmet and set it on her stomach before he lifted her into his arms. Her body was limp and pliant in his arms while her long hair brushed at his legs as it swayed back and forth with each step he took. Walking up the stairs he carried her out of the stepwell and towards her awaiting ship. The ship doors opened immediately to her presence and he let himself in. 

Ducking into the small cruiser class vessel, he stopped and looked around the cramped ship. Unlike his ship her main entrance hatch opened directly into her piloting bay, a single seat surrounded by a control panel and a large viewing screen above. To the left was a room he assumed was her living quarters. Colorful soft fabrics draped the small bed while the walls were lined with various storage boxes. Laying her onto the bed, he stepped back and looked around, it was evident that she spent the majority of her time on the ship. A long table in the corner of her room was filled with scattered parts of various dismantled weapons and small tools. Ducking again he walked out of the room towards what looked to be a small kitchen next to a bathroom. Turning back to the piloting bay, he swiveled the padded chair around to sit down. On the screen there were numerous windows open, one he recognized as the last text from their conversation another was a list of translated words in his language. The list was slightly incomplete, there were some words with question marks near them.

Typing a few commands into the computer, he brought up the information he was looking for.

{Locating Red} The automated female voice sounded from the speakers.

The map zoomed in to show her ship, just before a red heart marker blinked on top of the ship, indicating he was inside. Silently, he stared at the flashing heart marker on the screen before inserting the chip drive into her control panel he copied the information.

A low sound drifted from the sleeping quarters. 

Rising from the chair, Akur walked back into the cramped sleeping cabin and stared down at the slow fatigued movements of the human.

“Red,” she groaned, turning her head deeper into the fabric beneath. Her body twisted, laying now on her side with one leg bent and the other outstretched. 

The thermal heat scans from his mask registered the array of tiny blooms of heat pulsating and bursting throughout her supine body. Moaning again, she lay back on her back again before opening her eyes a tiny crack. Reading that the air in her ship was free of the sleeping toxin he unlatched his mask. Pressurized air released as the valves were disconnected to his mask. Lowering the faceplate, he stretched his jaw and mandibles inhaling the air.

Dark almost black eyes stared at him drowsily as he inhaled the tangy scent in the air. He knew this scent but didn’t. He smelled this before, but never like this—never directed at him. Even without his sensors he could feel the throbbing heat from her body. 

“Red,” she called to him again, her voice still rough and slurred with exhaustion. One hand attempted to lift from the bed and reach out to him, but fell down weakly against the fabrics. 

Inhaling deeply again, Akur could feel the rattling growl start deep in his chest as his body reacted to the scent of her body’s blatant arousal. Staring down at her, he willed himself to just kill her and be done with this entire situation. Just rip out her throat and turn around as she bleeds out onto the bed. 

“I want to touch you,” she slurred. Her eyes widened a little further as she reached out again for him.

Kneeling one knee onto the bed between her legs, he felt the bed shudder under the pressure of his weight as he leaned over her. Face to face, he could see the glassiness of her eyes and knew she wasn’t completely coherent. Soft blunt fingertips immediately found the tops of his arms, tracing up the scarred red patterns of his markings. Beneath him, he could feel her legs spreading. Warm fingers turned into the hot press of her hands as he felt her glide them up his biceps and over his shoulder armor to wrap around his neck. The boldness of her actions angered him, no one had ever dared to touch him so boldly nor so intimately. It was her coy clueless smile and her tangy scent of arousal that kept him from reacting to her rash actions. Her arms tightened around his neck and he allowed her to pull him further down. Fascinated, he watched her oddly shaped human mouth as she parted the soft fat flesh of her lips.

“I want to taste you,” she breathed against him, lifting herself off the bed until her nose was nearly touching his tusks.

Akur was confused, he had seen human mating before on his hunts and knew they liked to taste each other’s mouths. That was certainly not a Yautja custom. Yautja mating was quick, powerful, and purposeful. From his understanding humans liked to wrap useless emotions around their copulation as well as waste time on gratifying each other before they finally settled down to seed their mate properly.

He had enough of this. Lifting up he began to grab her arms to yank them off when he felt her legs wrap around his waist holding her to his body.

“No,” she cried. Her eyes were still half shut, inebriated from the exhaustion coursing through her body. 

The blades of his dual swords at hips clinked against the sides of the metal bedframe. Pulling herself close again to his face he felt the puffs of her breath hit his tusk. Looking pointedly from his eyes down to his tusk she smiled lazily before opening her mouth wide in a gesture for him to do the same.

His claws dropped from her soft bare arms and repositioned themselves back on the mattress at her sides. Still staring at her drowsily dark eyes he opened his mandibles and mouth wide. His eyes widened as he watched her look of pure drunk satisfaction as she leaned forward. Though he could not see her well in this position, he could feel every movement. The bold hot wet feeling of her tongue finding his and prompting him to dance the muscle with hers electrified his nerve endings. The human’s body felt like it was on fire beneath his as she pulsed her hips against his stomach. Letting out a deep growl, he watched her eyes close as she leaned in further to him, her smooth human tongue fighting with his rough ridged one for dominance in this odd foreign act. Every muscle in his body felt as if it were pulled taut. The urge to rip at the female’s miniscule clothing and throw her on her stomach as he mounted her from behind, was almost blinding. Dropping his hips to hers, he could feel his body harden at the tiny moan she let out in response. Renewing his fight with her slick tiny tongue he battled her properly enjoying her contented moans. 

This human was trying to mate with him. This made no sense. Humans and his kind could not mate, their DNA was not compatible and could not propagate. But as her hands caressed the sides of his face and her tiny monas turned into frantic mewling sounds of need he realized he didn’t care. He wanted to be inside of the hot wet channel that was desperately thrusting at his stomach for more contact.

Pulling away, he let her pant for air.

Clutching at his armor she gave him a desperate cry as her eyes drifted shut. “Make love to me Red, I’ve wanted you for so long.” Her words finished in a breathy sigh as she weakly yanked on his shoulder armor.

Love. The word brought reality back full force. The human concept of deep unexplainable attachment and longing.

He was Yautja, he did not love.

Disengaging from the limp female, he ignored her wilted cries of protest and exited the sleeping cabin. Reattaching his faceplate, he walked over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons. A whooshing sound of air started as the vents let in the outside air. Alarms blared as the life-support system warned of the outside toxins. Within minutes sounds from her sleeping cabin stopped. Setting the ship to clean the air in an hour he grabbed the chip with the copied information on it and turned to leave. 

Pausing he thought of something. Turning back to the control panel he pulled up the screen with the partially translated Yautja words. Tapping his claws against the keyboard he finished his entry and turned to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

“I will give you 250 credits for each jar,” the sickly-yellow gangly creature grumbled. Scratching at one of its many brown spots on its jaundiced looking flesh, it stared at her with impatience as he clutched greedily at one of her many glow worm jars. 

Cutting her gaze back to him, she gave the buyer a hard look. “300 each or I walk right over to the Syn stand down the way.”

The market on space port 8K3 was crowded as usual, Ember had to stand close to the dingy seller’s stand to avoid getting hit by the constant coming and goings of the passing crowd. 

“Fine,” the yellow creature groused as he tapped in her credits onto his tablet. Flipping it over to her for authorization he gave a few oaths under his breath even as he pulled the coveted jars closer.

Twisting her lips in disgust at the stickiness of the tablet screen, Ember signed the contract approving the barter. Done with the transaction she left the disgusting alien to his jars without a word and merged herself into the crowd. The chime from her wrist unit alerted her of a call. Clicking the accept button she answered.

“What, Dart?” She didn’t bother hiding the annoyance from her tone.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” Ember could hear female laughter and the familiar clink of glass in the background and knew he was at one of the many bars on the port.

“Nothing I’m fine,” she lied. “What bar are you at I will meet you?”

“The Orifice, where the hell else!” he laughed, before yelling to the bartender for another shot. “You sure as fuck don’t sound fine, come up here and lean that pretty little head of yours on my nice strong shoulder and tell me all about it.”

Hanging up on him, she squeezed through the crowd towards the lifts to the ninth level. He was right, she wasn’t fine and she really could use a drink. For a week now, she couldn’t find one clue to Red’s location nor was the surly red bastard answering any of her messages, calls, or hails. Nothing. Everything was fine one moment and the next it wasn’t, Ember couldn’t wrap her head around it. At first her imagination assumed the worst, that he was killed from his last bounty. Scouring the feeds and reports from his last bounty’s planet, Ember’s plans to burn the planet and all their inhabitants was cut short when she read that the prince of the planet was killed by an unknown assailant. Unknown meant they didn’t catch him. So, what the hell was up?!

Ember felt as if she was losing her mind. Everything was going so right between them. For once she finally got the big scaly bastard to finally talk to her, an actual back and forth conversation for God’s sake. Rereading her messages over and over again she could not find any hint or clue that would suggest he would ghost her like this. Her last message to him about fixing her heating system was labeled “read” by him, meaning he did receive it and saw it. Stomping onto the lift, Ember let her head bang onto the transparent plasma wall as it rose in the air, ignoring the questioning looks from the fellow passengers. She should have never gone to that abandoned planet for a quick break. After finishing fixing the damn heating coils she did a quick survey—a far too quick survey looking back on hindsight—of the land and found an old stepwell in the middle of a ruined city. It was a miracle she somehow dragged herself back to her ship. When she woke up in bed, her systems scans showed her high levels of a sleeping toxin in the air produced by some of the local fauna. It was most likely the reason for the planet’s lack of life. Though she had to admit it was some of the best sleep she had in ages—and dreams too. Just remembering the dream, she had about the red yautja hovering over her body made her body pulse with tingling heat. The dream felt so real and tangible she knew she would forever use those images as material for her fantasies about the big red Yautja. Sadly, the mini break cost her big time, she could have been there and waiting for Red when he took off from the ship instead of nearly sleeping to death on that damn planet.

Walking into the bar, she waved back at Dart who was sitting in the corner surrounded by a group of prostitutes. Leaning over the bar counter she caught the bartender’s eye, or one of them at least.

“Three shots of CoolsideMoons please and start a tab for me,” sliding her cred-card on the pay machine the bartender gave her a happy chortle as he started to prepare her drinks.

Shooing off the women, Dart opened his long arms to her and gave her a dashing smile. “Come to papa and tell me your woes.”

#

“I will be back big ugly,” the man’s laughter rang out in the small room as he walked away, twirling the long black metal baton.

Hanging against the heavily reinforced chains, Akur let his battered body sag. The armor-plated chains that held his arms up and spread against the wall above his head, were at the perfect height to force him to kneel on the cold hard floor rather than sit. The room he was held in was large but dark, there was no window or anything to use to identify how long he had been in there exactly. Nothing but the visits of the man in the blue jump suit. The man’s visits were sporadic and happened multiple times a day. From the strength of the human-looking man’s fist and kicks, Akur established that he wasn’t human, most likely an android. 

The sound of his blood dripping from his body onto the floor became a monotonous sound that sank his mind deeper into his thoughts. He was captured three days after he left Ember lying in her ship on that abandoned planet. Flexing his arms from the pain he let his head hang back hitting the wall, forcing him to stare at the blank ceiling. He should have stayed with her. He should have ignored his pride on falling to the human’s seduction. He should have stripped her bare and rode her body to completion. Clenching both fist, he gave a mighty fruitless tug to the manacles holding him to the wall. When he escaped from here, Akur would not make the same mistake twice. He would use the information he stole from her and track her down and sink himself into her soft eager human body. He would give her exactly what she begged for from him, until she begged him to stop.

But first he would take his time and kill everyone aboard this vessel, starting with disemboweling the android in the blue jump suit.

#

She had her ship hiding in a stream of space clouds, thick streams of iridescent lights made up of various gases. For a day now, she worked without sleep scanning and rescanning the nearby galaxies as she altered and scrapped strings of code. She was going to find that crab faced asshole and when she did she was going to shoot him in the chest, drag him aboard her ship and cry and scream until he apologized. The plan wasn’t sound and had a few obvious holes in it but she would work on that once she found him.

And she would find him.

#

“For the last time you Yautja filth tell us how to activate the hatch to your ship,” the android in the blue jumpsuit gave Akur an evil smile before setting the baton at his temple.

White hot searing pain coursed through Akur’s body, tightening every muscle to the point of breaking. Distantly he heard his own roar echo off the walls.

Taking the baton off, the android leaned forward until he was face to face. “Tell us.”

Breathing deeply, Akur focused his mind and stared into the blue eyes of the man. He let the images of his homeland fill his mind, fantasies of his hands sinking into the android’s flesh, and endless images of the human female he left behind on that abandoned planet. Kernels of doubt started to break his focus. Did she make it off the planet alive or was she still there slowly wasting away in an endless sleep? 

He had to get off this ship.

“Answer me!” 

The loud audible snap and sharp pain to his mandible broke him from his concentration. Holding his right upper tusk, the android smiled as he twirled the bloody broken piece between his fingers.

“I will break another if you…” His threat was cut off by a loud beep.

The wall on the other side blinked to life, revealing a window into a large white laboratory filled with machines and other human looking androids. A man in a white jumpsuit and pale-yellow hair stared at them with dead blue eyes. 

“That’s enough David, we found a way in.”

Giving him a sneer, David pocketed his tusk and walked through the door near the window. Following the man in the white jumpsuit, they walked out of the laboratory through another door beyond. With the window still activated, Akur watched as other male androids worked at their terminals ignoring him completely. When he was captured, he was unable to see the size of the ship that took control of his ship and forcibly docked him. When he emerged from his ship, he was in a vast cargo bay filled with soldiers dressed in clean black jumpsuits and matching rifles. He took down many, but their numbers were too many. They wanted him alive and in somewhat decent shape that much he could figure from the meals they provided and the fact they did not attempt to kill him yet.

The two men walking back into the lab focused his attention back to them. The happy smile on the man in the blue jumpsuit did not sit well with him. The man in white pressed a few buttons before looking to Akur directly through the window.

“You are in luck, Yautja warrior,” his voice was emotionless but Akur could see the excitement he tried to mask deep in his eyes as well. “We were going to try and breed you with a Zantrex female, a species similar to humans. However, there is no need.”

A cold feeling spread across his stomach, as he waited.

Pressing another button, a familiar voice echoed from the speakers.

“Red are you ok?! Your ship is sending out a distress signal, I didn’t even know it had a distress signal,” the frantic angry worry in her voice felt like a thousand blades running across his skin. “Don’t worry I will find you, just hang tight, ok Red!? I will find you.”

No. No. No. Grabbing the chains that held up his arms he began yanking them with all his strength. Standing to his feet he let out a piercing roar.

“You should be happy,” the emotionless tone from the man in white continued. “We have never had an opportunity to test two subjects that obviously have some sort of prior bond.” Turning his back to the window he addressed the other android. “See that the preparations are made for her arrival.”

What felt like hours later, eight armed men in black jumpsuits entered the stark white room followed by David. Pressing a button on the wall, the chains began to move along grooves in the ceiling, forcing Akur to follow. The armed guards kept their position around the perimeter of the room, each holding tight to their baton. Stopping in the center of the room, he kept his eyes on the man in blue.

“Now we are going to strap you to the table and I want you to behave,” the man laughed as he pressed another button along the wall. A mechanical whirring noise activated behind Akur as a white bed like structure raised from an opening in the floor. “Step back.”

The chains above him slackened slightly. Akur didn’t move, he waited.

Anger passed through the android’s gaze, stepping forward he repeated his command. “I said step back, you monstrous piece of filth.”

The guards around the room stepped one loud step forward in unison. Akur was not concerned with them, he didn’t take his eyes from the man in front of him.

“You can either step back on your own,” the android stepped forward, closer to Akur. “Or we can put you back. And if I have to do that I will make sure to greet your little human whore myself when she arrives.”

Looking down at the android, Akur wanted to laugh as he watched the synthetic lifeform step within range. Akur shifted his weight. To the androids it appeared he was submitting and the chain above gave him the precious few more inches of slack for the movement. Quicker than any of the men could react he swiped his claws across the android’s throat. 

With wide eyes, the android in blue stumbled backward as its semi-detached head fell backward on its neck, hanging by a few inches of serrated inorganic tissue. White milky substance sprayed onto the floor as severed wiring popped and crackled from its neck. The body collapsed as the guards finally reacted with their batons. The pain was severe, but worth it.


	6. Chapter 6

She tracked the signal of his ship down to a relatively large dwarf planet circling a large barren water planet. Sitting on top of the dwarf planet was a large carrier class ship normally used for transporting vast number of soldiers or hospitals. Her preliminary scans showed the large vessel only had a few signs of organic life, and multiple signs of functioning machinery. Why was Red here—a mission perhaps? But if so, what went wrong enough for his ship to send out a distress signal?

Suiting up, she grabbed her helmet to walk to the hatch. Remembering something, Ember leaned over her chair to type a command into the ship when her gaze swept over the open document of Yautja translations she was working on. Staring at the document she tried to discern what was odd about it. Scanning the text, she stopped on one of the words she could not translate earlier. It should have had a question mark—it didn’t.

Her chest felt as if it was on fire as she stared at the word “Love” which was previously untranslated. Love—Asisuru, which translated to weakness. Staring at the screen she felt a multitude of emotions spiral through her, anger, happiness, and betrayal. Red had been on her ship. Red had seen her list of translations. Did that mean the dream she had of him was real? Was that why she couldn’t contact him anymore?

Snapping her formed helmet on with a loud click, she stepped out of the hatch. New plan, she was going to find that big hulking alien and she was going to shoot him in the chest, drag him back to her ship, patch up the wound, and then make love—or weakness or whatever the hell he called it—to him until he begged her to stop.

 

The carrier ship was a lot bigger than she was anticipating. Large docking bays, vast cargo holds, seemingly thousands of small cabins, a large mess hall, and tons more she had no real interest in exploring. With just a cursory glance at the large familiar yautja ship sitting in the large docking bay, Ember knew it was empty. Not once on any of their missions had Red just left the main hatch door wide open for anyone to go in and out of, that and the armed guard standing next to the ship told her he wasn’t inside. Ember’s stomach knotted in worry.

With her camouflage on she slinked through the halls undetected by the few armed guards she did see. As some of the guards walked past her various hiding spots, Ember wasn’t too happy to read that her scans did not pick up the guards’ presence. Androids, fucking androids. No one in the universe besides rich corporations liked the things so why haven’t they been exterminated yet?

Most of the halls were dimly lit and most of the doors were locked. Looking at her read-outs from her scans she followed a long winding hallway to the organic life signs she could find. There was a large section of the ship that seemed to have a few signs of organic life, but Red’s personal signal was still not appearing on her scans. That could only mean his armor was either off or destroyed. Taking a deep breath to calm her rising heartbeat she pressed on further down the hall.

After what felt like an hour of searching, Ember paused around the corner of a large white door. Androids in matching jumpsuits went in and out of the room, giving her only glimpses of the high-tech equipment inside. One tall android in white left the room followed by other male androids who deactivated the lights in the room before leaving. Pressing herself into the wall she listened as their footsteps eventually faded down and around a corner. Quickly, she ran up to the door and pressed the entry button. Inside the immense room she stopped, the whole room was lined with trillions of credits worth of pristine technology. The all white room felt like a clean room of sorts, as if no one should be inside disturbing the immaculate quality of the pure air. Turning she scanned the room until her eyes settled on the large window in the back. Ember nearly screamed.

Running forward she skidded to halt at the computer before the large window, a computer which had the same diagram of the picture she was seeing through the window. Pressing the buttons, she wanted to scream as nothing on the computer would register her commands. Cursing, she left the computer and slammed her hand on the panel near the door to the room beyond.

The doors to the room opened in a pressurized whoosh. 

“Red, oh my God Red!” she cried running into the room. 

His body jerked and his head whipped to the sound of her voice. Laying on a large examining table with his legs spread and arms out, Ember wanted to cry at the sight of his bruised body and broken mandible. The dry bright green blood on his mandible where one of his tusks used to be told her it had been recently removed. He lay there naked except a small black leather loin cloth, the red markings clashing with the gray scaly flesh of his muscular body and the stark whiteness of the room. The length of his rubbery black dreads cascaded over the edge of the table and hung freely down.

“Run, Ember,” his voice was so deep and laced in his natural growl she almost misunderstood him.

Ignoring him she clicked off her camouflage as she bent down to view the underside of the bed holding him down. “No, I will not!” she cried, as she found the bolts to the control mechanism that housed the retractable manacles in the bed.

“Ember they know…” he began to roar at her but she cut him off.

“Got it,” she exclaimed, as the bolt came undone and the sound of the manacle releasing freed his right arm. Running to the other side before he could say anything else she bent down to work on the other bolt. “Don’t worry, I’m…”

Pressurized air and the sound of the door’s whoosh made her jump. Standing in the doorway was the blonde android in the white jumpsuit she saw earlier flanked by two guards in black. They didn’t say anything as the main android pressed a button in his hand. An electrical current stronger than she could have imagined zinged through the bed. Red’s beastly roar deafened her as it bounced off the walls of the empty white room. With her hand still on the table she screamed in her helmet at the burning pain that coursed through her arm. Falling back from the table she grabbed at her gun with her other hand. Blurs of black clouded her vision before she could react, moving faster than she ever could, the armed guards snatched her gun away as one wrapped his long arm around her throat. Fighting and kicking did nothing as she screamed back at the androids dragging her towards the door. Error codes read off in warning across the screen of her helmet as her suit tried to activate any of its safety protocols. Nothing was working, the shock from the table must have damaged her suit. Red’s roar was louder and deeper this time as he watched the guards drag her across the room. Ember could see in her peripheral as he clawed at the other restraint on his other wrist.

“Strip her,” the android in white calmly commanded.

Hands grabbed at the dome of her helmet as she twisted and writhed in their arms. Unlatching the device, Ember pulled in a great breath of air as it was ripped away from her head. 

“You fucking bastards,” she screamed as both of the guards began to peel away her suit from her body until she was down to her underwear. 

But they didn’t stop. Grabbing at the thin pieces of fabric covering her nudity, Ember felt as their hands ripped them away from her body leaving her completely bare. Her screams turned into panic cries and chorused with Red’s unnatural roars of anger.

“There now,” the android in white who stood motionless at the door observed calmly. Gesturing toward Red, he issued another command to the guards. “Leave her with the creature, we will start the process tomorrow.”

Shoving her forward towards the bed, she felt the crushing grip of Red’s free arm wrap around her protectively, pulling her tight against him as they watched the androids leave the room. The lights in the room dimmed, as the door shut.

Shivering she clutched at his body and brought her feet up onto the table until she was curled up at his side. “What do they want from us?” Her voice sounded raw from screaming and her hand still ached badly from the electrocution.

Silence passed between them before he eventually answered.

“They want to breed us,” with her face pressed close to his chest she felt his voice rumbling and her body stiffened at the meaning of his words.

“What?” pushing herself up on the table with one hand she leaned over to see his intense orange eyes. Wiping at her tears, she had shamefully shed, she stared at him in shock. “No, that can’t be.” She didn’t want to be impregnated by these horrible robots, she didn’t want to be tested on only to have them take away her baby.

Shivering, Ember could feel her breathing quicken as she started to panic from the thoughts. Red’s rough clawed hand lifted from her waist and glided up the length of her bare back before pressing her back down to his side with a grunt. With her breasts flat against the scaled flesh of his flank, Ember could only view him from an upward angle giving her a perfect view of his broken tusk.

“They cannot breed us,” he deep voice began evenly. “Our DNA is not compatible, it will not allow you to propagate my seed.”

Ember could feel herself flush deeply at his direct words. Burying her face deeper into his side she curled her chilled body closer to his heat. A thought struck her.

Lifting back up, she gave him a wide-eyed look of fear, his predatory gaze narrowing immediately at her reaction. “What happens when they find out? When I was looking for you, my scanners picked up other large beast in containment rooms.” She whispered, her voice feeling thick and tight as her fears grew at the horrific thought. “Will they try to breed me with those creatures?”

Small beady black pupils narrowed amongst the orange glow of his eyes as he too thought of what the androids might do. Turning his head to his left arm he yanked at the bond holding him down.

“Here, I will do it,” she said hastily. Leaning over him, she ignored the embarrassment of her naked body pressing directly over his chest as she felt for the bolt underneath the table.

“Cease now,” a voice echoed from a speaker in front of them, near the door by the window. It was a different voice than the android in white, most likely another android.

 

“If you try to dismantle the other brace we will send another current to the table, this one much higher than before.”

Defeated, Ember gave Red an apologetic teary gaze as she settled back down on the table along Red’s upper body. She could feel the clicking noises in his chest thump at her breasts.

 

Laying silently against him, Ember wasn’t sure how much time had passed though she knew Red was still awake, she could feel his hand at the base of her back rubbing some of the strands of her hair through his fingers. Most likely some sort of fidgeting habit she reasoned to herself, although she knew for a fact that yautja hunters were trained not to move or have the desire to move for days on end. They could sit, stand, or crouch for hours in the roughest of environments, perfectly still. Feeling somewhat confident that the androids wouldn’t care at her slight movements, Ember lifted onto one arm until she was face to face with the hunter again. Her nipples inadvertently dragging across the skin of his massive chest. Ignoring his building growl, she leaned on top of him, flattening her chest against him and cupped the side of his face gently. Glancing down, she examined the broken flesh of his mandible and her eyes began to water.

“Your poor tusk,” she whispered.

A series of deep rolling clicks punctuated his gruff rumbling sound in his chest. “I do not need your pity human…”

His words stopped when she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the side of his mandible, just to the side of his wound. His hand immediately moved up to grip the underside of her ass, startling her as she felt him steady her body against him. Looking back into his eyes, she felt her heart quicken at the primal stare he gave her. At times Ember felt as if she knew exactly what the hunter was thinking and others—like now—she couldn’t tell at all. Tracing the pads of her fingers up his concaved cheek line and up his face she let her fingers smooth across the severe downward angle of brow bone.

“I’m sorry, I should have hailed for help or something, instead of trying to save you on my own,” she didn’t try to wipe away the tears coming down her face. Leaning forward until she was practically on top of him she leaned her face on his chest and whispered. “I’m scared.”

#

All night her words replayed themselves in his head.

He could still feel the hot trail of moisture from her tears roll down his neck when she leaned in to whisper those burning words. The feel of her drove him crazy. From the rapid percussion of her heart beating through her soft breasts pressed against his skin or the soft but wiry feel of her pubic hair rubbing along his thigh as she better situated herself against him. With his hand still cupping the soft fatty flesh of her ass, Akur listened to her breathing change as her body began to wake up. Minutes passed as she laid awake against, he could feel her soft movements as she began toying with one of his dreads.

“Red,” she whispered.

She was tucked into the crook of his free arm making it hard to see her from the position he was in on the bed. Letting out a low growl he acknowledged her.

“Do you think they will put me to sleep when they try to inseminate me?” The question was asked so innocently and in such a small voice, Akur was unsure how to react.

The human was naïve. With just one look at the android in the white jumpsuit, Akur recognized the cruelty in the synthetic lifeform. There would be no insemination.

Ember’s body stirred at his side as she waited for his response. Taking his hand from her ass he pushed her head back against his flank. “Go back to sleep, you will need it,” he commanded.

Feeling her nod against him, she straightened her legs along his and pressed herself flush to his body. 

Small tendons, soft flesh, and fragile bones all of this coming together to create one easily destructible life form. Beneath the palm of his hand Akur could feel the delicate bone of her neck constantly reminding him of the fragility of her petite human body. It would be a mercy if he killed her now, to let her forgo the atrocities that awaited her in this lab. Akur’s hand stilled over the back of her neck at the thought. He couldn’t do it, he could not kill her. He wanted her. He wanted this annoying little bird in his life. The urge to protect her grew like a fever in his body as he recalled the way the guards stripped her naked. There had never been a time in his life had he felt a rage like that before.

Closing his eyes, he channeled his focus and calmed his body. He had to be ready for when they came.

#

They didn’t get a chance to react.

The androids waited until Akur’s body finally sought rest when they came for her. Opening his eyes to the feel of their presence, the popping sound of the injector was already echoing in his ear when he reacted. It took four guards to pry his arm from her limp body while one other took her pliant body from them, carrying her away. With a brutal snarl he flung one of the guards across the room before reaching out to pry his other hand loose from the bed. 

The burning pain of electricity washed over his body as he watched through a fog of pain as they carried her out the door.

#

For hours he stared at the door on the left wall of the room waiting for them to bring her back. Six android guards came in during that time and carefully captured his free arm and binding it back to the repaired table. The lead android, the one in the white suit, came in himself to inject him with a bright liquid in his neck. With the table up right instead of horizontal as it was the previous day, Akur didn’t flinch as the long needle penetrated his flesh, he simply stared directly into the android’s eyes. Every detail, every nuance of movement Akur would commit to memory. Earlier he broke his promise to himself by not disemboweling the android in the blue jumpsuit. In that moment the opportunity was paramount and the synthetic’s threat towards Ember’s arrival could not be ignored. This android however, this leader of this research station would feel every second of his death and watch his existence come to an end by his hand.

“Do you want to know what I have injected you with?”

Akur said nothing, he continued to stare down at dead blue eyes of the android.

“I know you have the capabilities of speech hunter, as I heard you yell out for your human girl upon her arrival.” The android didn’t wait for him to reply, before stepping back and holding up the empty syringe.  
“This is a pheromone formula I worked up for you based off your DNA. As of right now your female is receiving a series of injections herself with another formula I created. Hers will work on her own cells slowly manipulating a few strands of DNA and if all goes well she should be able to propagate well with your own DNA.”

Akur used years of his training to keep his body utterly motionless as the information.

Lifting the syringe, the android tapped the glass phial with his finger. “I’m afraid your formula however required us to demand a more aggressive approach. It seems yautja, even your very cells are fighters.” There was an undertone of a smile to the android’s voice that Akur didn’t like. “See, I know you would not join with the female on command alone so I had to make something that would inspire you to do so. I was forced to use the maximum amount of pheromone stimulant I could, pretty soon you will feel quite eager to join with the female and won’t need any instructions from me to do so.”

Closing his eyes, Akur willed himself not to react to the android. There would be no point expending his energy against the bonds of the table.

Walking to the door near the viewing window, the android stopped and turned back to face him. “Just remember, the longer you put it off the stronger the urge becomes. We do not need you ripping the girl in half in a blind lust. It really is a fortunate coincidence to have a human deliver herself to us like this.”

Watching the android finally leave, Akur rested his head back against the table and stared at the door on the other wall again, ignoring the increasing burning feeling in his body.

#

When the door opened a male android in a green jumpsuit carried Ember’s unconscious body inside. The table Akur was attached to began moving on its own, lying flat to a horizontal position. Without any sign of emotion, the android laid her body onto the empty space of the table at his side. With narrowed eyes and a growl growing in his chest, Akur watched the synthetic walk back out the door leaving them alone in the room. Ahead of the table the viewing window was cloaked, making it appear like a seamless white wall next to the main door.

The clunking sound of metal unlatching surprised him as the reinforced bands around his wrist and ankles released and slid back into the table. Sitting up, Akur stared down at the naked sleeping woman on the table. Pushing some of her soft hair out of her face, Akur felt his anger rise as he noticed the black metal collar around her neck. Dried trails of tears down her cheeks and various new bruises along her small body was evidence that her experience beyond the door was not without pain. Pushing one hand beneath her back, he lifted her easily arching her backwards as he brought her closer letting her head lull backward as he examined the metal collar. His claws clicked against the collar as he attempted to get a grip on it.

“That collar is similar in design to the table.” An android’s voice spoke over the speaker. “I would suggest not tampering with it, unlike yours, a human body will not be able to sustain many reprimanding shocks from it. I am guessing two high powered reprimands would leave her brain dead and third would certainly kill her.”

Akur let his hand slide away from the collar. Whipping his head around, he felt his dreads sway around him hitting his shoulder, as he stared at the still cloaked window. Suppressing a frustrated snarl, Akur turned on the table until he sat cross legged with his back towards the window. Lifting her up, he draped her into his lap letting her head rest on his knee.

Staring down at her soft human face, he ran his hand through her soft hair distractedly. The fever in his body was growing, but he was strong and could ignore its affects for now. The temptation to stare further down her body was becoming a trial to resist. Sitting straighter, he exhaled slowly and focused on running the silky follicles of her hair through his hand. From the base of her scalp to nearly the outreach of his extended arm he combed through her soft hair in meditation as his blood began to sing in his ears for more contact.

Letting his control slip once, he glanced down at the sprinkling of brown hair over her cunt. 

The depth of his own growl jolted him back to attention. Angry at his waning willpower, Akur groaned deep in his chest as he reluctantly let his other hand find the wiry thatch of hair that called to him. Letting his head hang back until he stared at the ceiling, he gave an audible exhale of content as he strummed through the course hair with one hand and the silky hair with the other.

He should have killed her when he had a chance.  
She should have never have followed him.  
He should have never tasted her that day.  
She was a weakness.   
She was his weakness.


	7. Chapter 7

Everything in her body told Ember to open her eyes. To wake up and try to find Red or at least see if she was still strapped to that horrible operating table. Unconsciously, she rubbed at her stomach and Ember felt herself flinch from the painful memories of the android’s tests. Injections after injections, the androids inserted long gleaming needles into her abdomen filled with mysterious golden liquids. No matter how much she screamed, cursed, and eventually shamefully begged—nothing stopped them. The androids just kept working, ignoring her as they injected her one after the other, twelve shots in total. At one point when they moved her to another section of the lab she tried to fight back, Ember grabbed the nearest object—a metal pan—and prepared to hit one of the guards to take his gun. Within a fraction of a second, she quickly found herself face down on the ground, with one guard pinning her down and another snapping a metal collar to her neck. A quick, cruel explanation of the collar left her unwilling but pliable in their arms.

She was somewhere different now, even without opening her eyes fully, she knew she wasn’t in the same lab. Funny thing was she couldn’t remember falling asleep or even passing out for that matter. Opening her eyes, Ember let her vision focus to the darkness of the space. The firm padding of the table beneath her body was the first thing she recognized. Shifting carefully, Ember paused when she felt hot rough flesh against her legs. Still too dark to see anything, Ember’s heart felt as if it had stopped as she lay there motionless. Where was she? Was she back in the room that Red was in earlier or was she somewhere different? Fear began to fuel her imagination. Did they put her back with Red as they said they would or was this some other creature?

Cautiously, with a shaking hand Ember reached out to the body next to her. More alert now, she could feel the intense heat rolling off its body. With her hand only inches away from the powerful heat source, she blinked blindly in the dark.

“Red?” She whispered searchingly.

A deep familiar clicking growl sent relief rushing through her veins. Without hesitation, she pressed the full length of her body to his hard form. As soon as her cool skin touched his, Ember could feel the jolting flinch of his body.

Confused, she looked unseeingly into the black void of the room for his face. “Are you ok?”

Two orange glowing orbs appeared out of the darkness above her, and Ember had to remind herself not to jump in fear. Red’s predatory eyes blinked as he stared at the ceiling. Now seeing the location of his eyes and the feel of his thick forearm beneath her breasts, Ember was able to realize the hunter was laying on his back on the table beside her. 

Slowly the orange eyes turned in her direction and she could feel his arm pull slightly away from her. Pathetically Ember wanted to hold onto it, to never let go. His strength and warmth were the only thing keeping her from breaking down right now. Black pupils constricted as he focused on her, most likely seeing her perfectly with his nocturnal vision she thought.

The silence became too much to bear. “Please say something,” she whispered, hating the pleading tone in her voice. She didn’t want to show Red this side of her, but she was scared. She was so scared of every second in this place not knowing what was going to happen next. 

Reaching out for his arm again, her body jumped at the startling growl he issued in warning.

“Do not touch me,” his snarl was deep and resonating. His orange and black eyes glowed like twin burning suns in the darkness. 

Shrinking into herself, Ember’s felt as if her heart had dropped to her stomach. In seconds she went from relief to knowing it was him by her side in the darkness to feeling utterly alone. What was wrong? Maybe they did something to him or maybe he was just angry in general because of the situation. Nodding silently, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her hands around them tightly until she formed a ball. Tucking her head into her knees she willed herself not to break weak and cry, to ignore the burning pain in her throat and eyes as tears threatened to spill forth. Ember felt his angry growl as he shifted on the table. The cold air in between them whooshed around her and she knew he moved further away from her. 

And in that moment, her anger boiled to life immediately. How dare he treat her this way! After everything she had done. She was the one who attempted to save him!

Uncurling herself, she pushed her hands against the table’s surface and lifted her chest from the table. Staring at him blindly in the dark she hissed at him. “You’re an ungrateful asshole you know that! I come and try to save you and endure torturous scientific experiments and you can’t even be nice to me for once!”

The heavy metal table shifted suddenly beneath her and she could feel Red’s heavy weight move quickly. Two furious orange eyes appeared above her in the dark. Ember’s voice caught in her throat as she realized her mistake. Rough textured flesh slid around her throat startling her. 

“Red,” she squeaked in fear. Ember felt his claws tap against the metal collar on her neck as he wrapped his large hand firmly around her neck.

“For once human, you will cease talking,” the pressure of his scaled hand tightened threateningly. Leaning over her she could feel the heavy press of his body along hers, forcing her legs apart lest she be crushed. The warm air from his mouth hit her chin and she knew his sharp tusked mandibles were close.

“You are right little human, this is my fault,” the orange orbs of his eyes narrowed with malice in the dark space above her. “Every second we are in here I’m reminded it is because of my weakness in not killing you when I had the opportunity.”

Hurt compounded with her anger at his harsh words. Jerking underneath his hold, she tried to free one of her pinned arms with every intention of punching his stupid crab face. She didn’t care of the possible consequences nor did she care about his anger. The tears she had been trying so hard to hold back welled in the corners of her eyes as she struggled underneath him. A vicious growled ripped through his chest, rattling against her breasts as he let go of her neck. The moment of reprieve was replaced again with fear as he grabbed both of her wrists and hauled them both above her head, holding her easily with one hand. 

“I should have let you waste away on that planet,” he roared in her face. Ember’s heart felt as if it would crack underneath the weight of his words and the realization that Red was truly indeed quite furious with her. Her own anger disappeared in the face of the angry yautja’s. Returning his grip to her neck with his free hand, he pulled her head slightly away from the table’s surface until her lips hit the bone of one of his tusks. “I should have choked the life out of you with my own hand.”

Sniffing, Ember blinked away some of the rolling tears as she continued to stare up into the angry orange orbs in the dark. The black beady pupils that normally stared at her with calm predatory assessment were so small and narrow now, they were surrounded by the fiery orange of his fury. All Ember wanted to do was shrink away, to go back moments before and undo whatever transgression she did.

The wet trail of her tears streamed down her cheek and pooled where his hand wrapped around her throat. With wide eyes she stared at him as he continued, not daring to say anything else. 

“And now little bird, we will both pay for my mistake,” The hand at her neck slid past her collarbone and down her chest, tracing the curve of her breast before settling on the flat of her stomach. “There will be no insemination. The stimulant they injected me with will soon escape my control and I will eventually sate my need with your soft human body.”

With her legs spread to accommodate his pressing weight on top of her, Ember could feel the taut hot flesh of his stomach settled over her heated core. Was this why his skin felt like it was on fire? Or why he pulled away from her earlier? Because they injected him with some sort of chemical that made him want to have sex with her?

“They—they plan to make us have—” Ember’s voice wouldn’t finish the words. The idea of being forcefully impregnated and raped all for the purpose of these androids made her nauseous.

“Yes,” he answered cruelly.

Everything that was bright and hopeful felt as if it drained away from her body. Her skin felt sallow and her heart empty as she understood the reality of their situation. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, not caring about the tightening of her voice through her constricting throat. Closing her eyes, she let the tears fall freely. “I’m so sorry,” She repeated in a whisper. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I should have called for help when I realized you might have been in trouble, I should have…” At some point he let go of her wrists and she covered her face with her hands as she cried. “I wasn’t thinking, I just wanted to find you... I’m so sorry.”

Ember wasn’t sure if he said anything or made any sound at her display of weakness, she was lost in the images of her mind replaying the moments before she stepped off her ship. Briefly she felt the weight of him leave from on top of her and she reflexively curled into herself on the table. Thinking of all the things she should have done that would have prevented this situation felt like a knife scraping at her soul, hollowing her out. She wanted to be helpful to Red, instead she was worthless.

The heavy pressure of his hand sliding across her bare stomach made her jump in fear. Helplessly, she felt him pull her backwards.

“Come here little bird,” his deep voice rumbled over her shoulder and vibrated through her body as her naked back hit his bare chest.

Rough indentations of his markings along his body rubbed at her soft skin as he settled her deep into the curve of his body behind him. With her head just underneath his, Ember could feel her bare ass just above the hem of his leather loin cloth while her legs covered his, her feet stopping midway at his shins. Holding her breath, her tears stopped as she felt his clawed hand at her stomach, gently scratching her flesh with the blunt ends of his long black claws. 

Pulling her tighter to him, Ember had to bite her tongue from making a sound as she felt some of his dreads fall over her shoulder and settle on her breasts as the side of his mandibles pressed to her ear. The hot heavy feel of his bicep and muscular forearm pressing into her burned away the last of her tears.

“The smell of your fear disgusts me,” his words felt like she was standing in the middle of an earthquake. Her whole body shook with the depth of his tone.

Ember opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t find her voice. His words sounded angry but resigned. His anger moments ago scared her but the gentle strokes of his claws on her stomach made her want to weep and beg for more.

Breathing heavily now, Ember summoned the courage and turned over in his hold so she was facing him now and looked up through the darkness at his eyes. The menace in the orange glowing orbs was gone, staring down at her she could feel him move closer and gasped when she felt the wet rough pressure of his tongue slide up her cheek.

“Even the taste of the lacrimation from your eyes angers me, little bird,” his voice was spoken just above her lips and Ember knew she would do just about anything to have him kiss her again like he did back on that planet. 

Pressing herself fully into the taut muscles of his large chest, Ember carefully let her forehead rest against it. Tucked safely into his arms, she listened to the steady pumping of his heart as she absently let her fingers trace the markings underneath her fingers. She didn’t dare say anything. The scratching feeling of his blunt claws tracing along the length of her body sent shivers down her spine. One hand found its way deep into her hair, settling at the base of her scalp holding her securely in place, while the other rested boldly on the cheek of her ass.

“I should have killed,” the grip on her ass tightened holding her firmly in place as she flinched from his words. “But I found that I could not,” hope flared around her erratic heartbeat at his words, calming her a little. 

Silence lingered between them and Ember wanted desperately to ask about why he left back on that planet or ask about the translation he left on her computer—but she didn’t. She was far too cowardly in this moment to bring it up. There was no telling what would happen tomorrow and she did not want to risk losing the warm feeling of his arms wrapped around her like this.

She remembered what he said earlier and looked upward a little until she found the black pupils of his orange eyes within the darkness. “Is the stimulant working now?”

The predatory orange eyes just stared at her in silence from the darkness. “Yes.”

Nervously her pulse quickened.

Silence weighed on both of them before she finally worked up the courage to speak again. “Will you…will you be rough with me?” Ember barley managed to get the question out of her throat.

The hand on her ass tightened. “Yes.”

Startled by his bluntness, she pushed back on his chest and stared at him with open shock. His orange eyes were unreadable and simply stared back down at her.

His voice resonated from his chest vibrating though hers. “Listen carefully little bird, soon I will not be able to suppress the stimulant’s affects and I will come for you without caution or reasoning. The things I thought of doing to your soft human body on that planet—I will do them. The things I am thinking of doing to you now as your cunt rubs against my stomach—I will do every single one of them. Without hesitation.”

“Red!” his name came out like a strangled gasp from her throat as she processed his words. Her whole body felt like it was in the middle of a war between immense arousal and fear. Having a large fearsome creature tell her without any sort of preamble that he planned to fuck her without mercy was the stuff of nightmares and fantasies.

Tightening his arms around her he pulled her close again. “During this, you will not fight me Ember, do you understand?”

There was a warning undertone to his growl that gave no room for argument. Biting her lip, Ember simply nodded.

“You will open yourself to me and let me take what I need from you. If you fight me, I will instinctively fight you back and subdue you.” The hand that was at her scalp slid to her cheek and Ember could feel the rough skin of his palm cup her face. “The thought of you fighting me, resisting me, as I try to claim what belongs to me—excites me even now little one. Your fragile human body could not survive a traditional yautja mating act. You will need to be…”

“Submissive?” She offered in a whisper.

One of his thick blunt claws traced at her bottom lip. “Yes,” he growled and Ember could hear the clicking deep in his chest.

Shaking, she pressed her forehead back to his chest just so he wouldn’t see her face flush bright red as she nodded. Shamelessly his hand at her ass began kneading the soft flesh and Ember had to suppress a moan from escaping her lips. 

“Good,” he acknowledged gruffly. “Once I have seeded you thoroughly and exhausted this stimulant I will be able to focus my mind away from your fur covered cunt for once and I will focus on our escape.”

Ember felt as if she would die from the embarrassment of his coarse words. She wanted to cry at the mixture of emotions. On one hand she was beyond happy to know Red had been thinking about her too and that on some level he realized he liked her—at least enough not to want to kill her. Although on the other hand, she was practically trembling in fear knowing that at any point he would turn to her wanting her complete submission as he took what he wanted from her body, roughly. Praying he wouldn’t say anything else about his plans for her she pressed her face into the warmth of his chest and closed her eyes.

#

Soft delicate hands fluttered at his flank like wings of a bird as she nestled deeper in her sleep. The small puffs of warm air against his chest acted as a metronome in his mind. Aiding him and breaking him with each exhale. With each breath she took, Akur worked to focus his mind. While each gentle press of her soft nipples against his chest worked to undo all his efforts.

A red haze was creeping steadily at the edges of his vision.

His control was fading.

#

An odd warmth moved across her body and Ember frowned in her sleep. Rough scratchy flesh moved across her chest and she could feel her breasts jiggle slightly at the foreign movement. Fighting through the haze of fatigue Ember struggled to open her eyes. Squinting, her pupils adjusted to the low lighting from the ceiling above as she focused in on the large shadowed figure hovering above her. Large, but still blurry, her vision slowly sharpened as her mind processed the familiar orange eyed yautja posed above her.

Like a slow booting computer, her heart began to react to the sight of the predator staring down at her, sending needed adrenaline through her body successfully pulling her completely out of sleep. Red’s normally small black pupils set within his jeweled orange orbs were wide and dilated leaving only a tiny ring of orange around the edges. The drug was in effect.

Her hands clutched the firm mat of the table beneath her with an audible scratching sound as she stared up at the hunter. With his knees on either side of her legs and his muscular arms planted on each side of her head, Ember stayed frozen in silent fear as the hunter held himself above her perfectly still. In and out she could see his large chest expanding and decompressing, swaying the tips of his long rubbery dreads hovering above her face and shoulders. A rapid clicking sounded from the back of his throat as he lowered his face to her chest. Sweat slicked her hands as she willed herself to lay perfectly still remembering what he told her last night. Hot puffs of air huffed at the trembling flesh of her breasts as he stopped inches away. His wild eyes never left hers as he opened his mandibles. Ember knew he was daring her to look away, like a predator in the jungle daring its prey to make a false move. Not taking her eyes off of him, her heart lurched in her chest as he extended his tusked mandibles outwards and revealed the sharp teeth of his mouth inches away from the soft flesh of her left breast. 

Ember tensed. Red wouldn’t hurt her, she told herself over and over again. Red wouldn’t hold her in his arms as she cried last night only to rip through her flesh. 

His jaw opened and she could see the deadly sharpness of his teeth. Her fear was rolling off her in waves as she held herself still against the table, he had to smell it. He had to hear the hammering thrash of her heart just beneath him. 

“Red please,” she whispered. She didn’t want him to hurt her.

Slowly, Ember watched the length of his red tongue appear. Momentarily transfixed with the rare sight of it, Ember examined it closely. Longer than she imagined and very thick, the red muscle had dark striations circling the tip. Like rings. Dark rings going halfway up his tongue. Absently she remembered their kiss on her ship and could remember something about the roughness of it.

Her thoughts were taken from her with a small scream as she felt the rough ridges of his tongue flick across her nipple. 

The black of his pupils constricted at the sound of her startled scream before dilating back to their frenzied size. Again, his tongue came down on the pearled tip of her nipple, letting the smooth slick flesh run across it before the ridges of each ring strummed roughly across the velvety flesh. Moaning at the rough treatment of her breast, Ember barley noticed his hand finding the other neglected globe of flesh before she felt the squeezing tug of his fingers. Squirming underneath his partial weight over her, Ember panted at the sight of his thick fingers rolling her other nipple between the callused pads—tugging and flicking.

“Red,” she whispered torturously, the growing hot feeling was so unexpected. Helplessly, she watched him cover her breast with his mouth, Ember let out a sharp gasp as she felt the sharp pin pricks of his carnivorous teeth scrape along the sides of her breast as his tongue batted and laved at the nipple within his mouth. Ember couldn’t suppress her cries any longer, the mixture of pain and pleasure was too much. From one to the other, he turned his attention to each breast leaving them sore and bruised all the while ignoring her frantic mewling sounds. 

Sitting up onto his haunches, Red let out a pleased growl as he stared down at the gleaming red welts along her breast. Each nipple was dark and swollen from his attention but Ember couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss at the disappearance of his rough touch. Adjusting himself on the table Ember’s stomach tightened when she felt the weight of his stare on the short curls covering her sex. Instinctively, she reached down to cover herself. 

A deep threatening snarl made her jump. 

Fearfully, she met his gaze and watched in fear as his deep inset eyes narrowed in dark warning. Trying to calm her rapid breathing, Ember nodded and laid back flat against the table, knowing what he wanted—her submission. Opening her legs, she closed her eyes and braced her body for what was to come. 

Stinging moisture welled in the corners of her eyes, the little haze of pleasure he created within her moments ago was completely evaporated, replaced by trembling trepidation. This was not how she wanted this. She wanted the Red she kissed back on that planet. No evil androids watching her from behind a window, no drugs, no experiments. She wanted the intense watchful gaze of her surly yautja not the wild-eyed beast staring at her now. Ember felt his powerful hands grabbing her legs and parting them wider. Tears fall past her temples and into her hairline as she tried to do as he instructed her do last night and relax.

Red would be gentle with her, she reasoned with herself as she felt the heat of him against her core. Red would know not use his full strength with her. Would he? Or was the drug too far into his system? More tears fell from her clinched eyes as she felt his hands flex painfully against her thighs as he spread her further. Red cared for her, she told herself as she felt her chest hitch as she cried. Digging her fingers into the mat, she felt something brush against her folds. Red would not hurt her, she chanted desperately as she prepared herself for the invasion, clenching her eyes tighter.

Hot and wet—the wet pressure started at the bottom of her slit and dragged slowly upward.

Ember’s eyes shot open as she felt the ribbed rings of his tongue drag across her folds strumming her clit with each ridged ring. Her mouth hung open and dry as she stared down her body at his primal hungry eyes. With his mandibles wide, his sharp tusks sat inches from her delicate flesh. Again, his tongue repeated the same move and Ember let out a small shriek as she felt those deep striations in his tongue run across her sensitive nub of nerves. Pushing herself onto her forearms, Ember could feel her skin tingle in gooseflesh and her pussy throb as she watched the realization spark across the predator’s eyes. 

“Red, please…” he didn’t let her continue. Grabbing onto her thighs he jerked her body down against him until she could feel his dangerous press of his teeth against her skin as he turned his attention to his new discovery.

Ember’s head fell back with a strangled whine from her throat as he strummed his tongue backwards and forwards over her swollen bud of nerves. Her hand came down and clutched at the top of his head, the feeling of his thick textured skin beneath her hand only served to heighten her arousal. It reminded her that the wet noises coming from her pussy was caused by the strong tongue of this monster kneeled between her legs causing her to moan his name.

“Oh God Red, Please,” she panted maddeningly. His tongue was so much longer and more agile than she could have ever dreamed. Like a waving serpent he flicked it over and under her glistening folds, teasing her clit with those terribly wonderful rings. “Please don’t…don’t stop…” her voice pitched higher as she felt him insert one of his thick fingers into her tight passage as his tongue continued its assault on her clit. Ember could feel his blunt claw scraping along her walls as his tongue would occasionally slide down inside to assist its journey further in. “Right there, right there...” God she was so close. So tight, he was stretching her so tight. The feeling of his finger working in and out of her pussy as that damn tongue worked her clit was breaking her in two. Her hips bucked wildly at his face, she didn’t care about his tusks or his teeth she was so damn close. “RED!” She shrieked.

Spots of colors distorted her vision as her body arched off the table. Everything around her seemed to fade from existence as she reeled through the euphoria of her climax. With deep pulls of breath, eventually she felt her senses slowly return to the world around her. 

Claws dug into her flesh as he grabbed her hips and turned her over. Languid and dazed Ember let the creature pull her down the table and position her until her legs dangled over the side of the table not touching the floor. An audible snap sounded from behind her and Ember could hear something that sounded like fabric hit the floor.

Clawed fingers speared through her exposed wet folds and Ember moaned.

“Red,” she pleaded tiredly. She knew what he was going to do but she wasn’t sure if she was ready. 

Pulling her arms beneath her, she tried to push her upper body up but the strong pressure of his wide hand at her back pushed her easily back down. Ember’s pulse began to thrash in her ears. Again, his fingers returned to her glistening sex and she bit her lip as he spread the lips apart. With one hand holding her lips apart she felt the blunt nudging of something round and hot at her opening.

Fear spiked through her as she jumped on the mat realizing what she was feeling. The hot blunt head remained steadily pressed against her entrance as his hand came back down on her back holding her firmly in place as he nudged forward with a deep reverberating growl.

“Your body is small, but you will widen to fit me my little bird.”

Slowly, inch by inch Ember whimpered as she felt her sex stretch open to accommodate the slow intrusion. Inches in, Ember gasped for air as she felt the natural widening of his thick shaft begin to push in. Letting out a painful cry, Ember buried her face into the mat of the table. 

“Please, it hurts,” she cried digging her nails deeper into the mat at the burning sting inside of her.

Mercifully, she felt him stop and she breathed deeply trying to catch her breath and adjust to the size of him. Sliding his hand down her spine, Ember felt him wrap his arm underneath her until she felt his blunt fingers strumming at her clit. 

“Oh,” her body clinched involuntarily at the new sensation and she could feel every thick inch of him pressing against her overstuffed channel. His groan at her inner spasm vibrated her back as he leaned his chest over her back. With their height difference she could feel his head above hers as he leaned over brushing his dreads against her bare shoulders. Not able to look up, Ember dropped her head in a whimper against the table as he pushed himself in a little deeper. His other hand came down on top of hers and covered it with his own. Ember stared at it as he began rocking her body slowly forward and backwards as his fingers worked her clit.

“You will take all of me won’t you, my mate?” he deep timbre was like honey coated gravel in her ear.

Not able to form words as his rocking increased, Ember nodded with a moan as she felt her slickening channel give way and allow the root of his thick cock to settle inside. 

Red growled something in his language in her ear before he pressed his hand on her back again and lifted up straighter.

“Hold onto the table,” he commanded, his voice sounded tight and barely more than an animalistic snarl.

Weakly, she clutched at the side of the table as she felt him slowly withdraw. Oh God, was the only thing she could think when she felt him slam forward.

Her back was covered in a beautiful sheen of sweat as her ass jiggled and shook with the force of his movements. Akur could feel the losing battle he was fighting to remain cognizant and present. It took everything from him as is was just to enter her tiny body with ease. Blinking in and out, his vision was there one moment and a red haze the next. Every second felt like it was going to be his last as he forced himself in and out of her tight cunt. Running his hand down the length of her back, he could feel his blood roar in his ears as he listened to her escalating cries. The pace he set was gentle in his opinion, but her cries were frenzied and wild. Akur had to restrain himself from showing her just how he intended on mating her. But ber desperate cries were undoing him with every stroke. Didn’t she know that he was attempting to hold back, to make this good for her? Groaning, he could feel his need for more clawing at him. Taking his hand away from that secret little nub he found within her curls he opened his jaw and licked his fingers. By all the Gods, the taste of her would forever be etched into his tongue. Looking down he watched her body tense and heard her pitching cries. Grabbing the sides of the table he held onto the metal as he thrust himself heavily through her body’s tightening climax.

The red haze appeared again, he tried to blink it away as he felt her cunt tighten around his cock as she let out a ragged shriek of his name but the haze didn’t go away. Distantly, he heard himself let out a piercing roar as he emptied his seed deep into her pulsating womb.

“We need five more completed ejaculations Yautja,” the voice of the android in white droned causally over the speakers.

Stepping back from her spent body, Akur shook his head trying to clear the haze. Dazedly he stared at the thick stream of his seed leaking from her pulsating cunt before he stepped forward. Grabbing her by the hips he pulled her off the table listening to her tired groans of protest.

“Red what are you…” Fear overtook her exhaustion as she stared up at him in scared confusion.

Pushing her body against the back wall of the room, he held her wrists above her head with one hand and grabbed one of her thighs with the other. Realization quickly set in as she struggled and pleaded with him to stop, to let her rest. How could he stop, the need in his body was like an inferno? She could feel the hard heat of his cock against her, he knew she could, the way she flinched away from him as he positioned himself again at her entrance was evident. He was going to have her again. He was going to hear those beautiful cries for him again. He was going to feel that sweet tasting cunt of hers milk him again and again. 

Akur had every right to have her again, as much as he pleased. 

She was his. His human, his mate.


	8. Chapter 8

A familiar sound woke him with a start. Looking around wildly, Akur was up on his feet in seconds. Around him the white room was quiet and empty. The table that was usually in the middle was gone. Staring down at the floor from where he just stood up he tried to think. Sniffing the air, he smelled the coppery tangy scent of blood. Looking to where he heard the sound he saw the tray of various raw meats and a jug of water sitting in the open section of the wall. It was the panel the androids always used to deliver his food. Slowly he turned his head to the cloaked window in the front of the room near the outline of the door.

Laying on the floor in front of the window was the black material of his loin cloth. Looking down at himself he snarled in anger as he confirmed his own nudity. Memories of yesterday’s events rushed back to him.

Ember.

Stomping forward, he grabbed the discarded garment and stared at it in his hand as he remembered yanking it off just before he pushed himself into the small whimpering human. He had mated her—repeatedly. The last thing he could remember was her throbbing cunt exposed to him as she lay exhausted over the table as his seed leaked freshly out of her. Everything else, all the images after were all blurred and distorted. 

Letting out a savage growl, Akur reattached the garment to his waist and turned to the window. Clenching both fists, he stared at the window as a memory of Ember’s scared voice came back to him. Where was she? What were they doing to her?!

Raising his fists, he brought them down with all of his weight against the reinforced glass. His fist bounced painfully off the glass but he could hear a slight warble in the material. Prepared to do it again, Akur stepped back to more of his weight into it.

The window screen clicked on. Standing on the other side was the android in white.

Akur didn’t say anything to the synthetic, he simply stared at the android and waited.

“If you are concerned about your female, then you would be justified to feel that way,” A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of the android’s lips, it made Akur want to cave the synthetic’s skull in. “After your joining with her we had to wait until you were exhausted and then retrieve the girl’s body.”

Body. Akur felt his skin grow cold as he stared at the dead blue eyes of the man. The blood in his ears rushed in a roar as Akur tried to fight through the pain in his head and recall what happened. Nothing was coming up.

“She isn’t dead but she is damaged from the experience. We took her for treatment. We don’t suspect she will be too willing to come back to you after last night, we will mostly likely have her strapped down on the second round.”

Akur would not accept this android’s words. They were not true. Stepping back, Akur could feel the rattle in his chest as his snarl filled the room. Leaping forward he brought both fist down on the window again. This time he could feel the flex of the window’s material shift under his assault. Letting out a satisfied roar, Akur stepped back again to repeat the process catching a glimpse of the android’s now angry face.

“You do no not believe me yautja?” The android asked snidely as he reached for something on his control panel in front of him. “Then how about video evidence of your performance.”

The sounds of familiar screaming caused Akur to whip around. Facing the other wall Akur stared in sickening disbelief at the projected image on the white wall. Silently he watched the video of himself thrusting his hips again and again into the kneeling figure crying on the ground. Her sounds were of obvious pain while his own were of frenzied exultation. Over and over again she begged him to stop but he never said anything. Wide eyed he stared at the image of his claws sinking into the soft flesh of her hips as he pulled her limp body to his faster and faster. Her cries of pain made him sick. 

Turning away from the image, Akur stared down at his claws and examined the dried blood under each. This was Ember’s blood. Blood he drew from her delicate flesh as he…

Whipping around, he faced the viewing window again and for the briefest moment he saw the glimmer of fear pass through the android’s eyes. Planting his foot, Akur was taking one step forward to charge the glass again when the android quickly spoke.

“If you persist yautja I will give your mate,” the android said the word with a sneer. “To another more cooperative specimen,” pressing another hidden button on the panel before him and a portion of the wall on the left side of the room cleared away to reveal a large door with a glass window.

Sitting in the next room over, Akur saw Ember sitting up on an examining table wearing nothing but a thin white surgical gown that stopped at her knees. Her face was tired and scared as she looked around, watching the androids of the room suddenly exit by a door in the front of the room. Confused she looked around until she caught his eyes through the glass portal. Akur could see her flinch in shock at seeing him suddenly through the glass. Anger and pain flooded his senses as he watched her beautiful human face crumple with emotion. Fear, hesitancy he could see it all on her easy to read human face as she looked away from him. 

A beeping sound caught both of their attentions as another similar door like his suddenly appeared on the far-left side of the room she was in. Ember jumped with a scream as they watched something large and covered with dark fur crash into the glass window. One red eye appeared on the other side of the glass and stared directly at her before letting out a high pitch howl. 

“I can always give her to the Probosi, a wolf like creature covered in quills of the planet Probos 8H in galaxy Jorgund. He was given a stimulant shot three days ago—with no supplied relief. I’m quite sure he is ready and able to join with your female.”

Akur didn’t turn to look back at the android, he kept his focus on the creature clawing at the door on the other side of the room. Terrified, Ember ran to his door and screamed for him. Wild, foreign fear ignited through his veins as Akur clawed at the seams of the wall, pounding at the window with his fist and feet. Another beep sounded and Akur watched as the door on the other side of the room slid open.

“Remember who is in control here yautja,” the sound on his own door beeped before sliding open.

 

Pressing herself painfully against the wall, Ember screamed when she watched long green talons wrap around the edge of the opening door. The monster was coming through. A buzzing sound of chaotic noise, drowned out her thoughts as she huddled against the door to Red’s room. Clenching her body tight, she waited for the pain of the creature to reach her, but movement beneath her distracted her. The wall that she was pressing herself against slid open and Ember could barely blink before she felt something breeze past her. 

A thunderous roar intertwined with a shrieking howl collided in the middle of the room with a quaking thud. Turning, Ember watched in paralyzing fear as the two beast attacked each other. Swiping with both hands at Red with its long talons the large bi-pedal wolf-like creature tried to back Red against the examining table. Red reacted fast—faster than anyone of them expected. Grabbing at the long-curled back horns on the creature’s head, Red tossed the large creature up and over his back with a twist. Slamming the creature onto the ground, Red let out a dominating roar as he snapped the creature’s neck.

Breathing heavily, Red’s head whipped in her direction sending his dreads arcing over his shoulder. Stepping over the dead beast he walked over to her and scooped her high into his arms. Glancing at his eyes, Ember wanted to cry when she noticed they were his normal orange glowing orbs. Small normal sized pupils examined her as he held her. 

“Now go back to the room, unless you want to see how well you can hold of three more deranged Probosi,” the android threatened over the speaker.

Ember could feel Red’s grip around her tense in anger as his chest vibrated in a low clicking rumble. Carrying her back through the doorway to their room, Red walked to the back of the room before sitting down on the floor with her in his arms. 

Over his shoulder, Ember watched the window blink clear revealing another android in a green jumpsuit. “Despite the female’s minor vaginal scarring from yesterday’s joining, we will need three completions from…”

“That won’t be necessary,” the main android, the blonde in the white jumpsuit, walked up to the window wordlessly dismissing the other android. Looking at her directly with his cold dead eyes, the robot continued speaking not bothered by Red’s unwillingness to turn around and look at him directly. “Your scans are yielding better results than anticipated, I will allow you to rest today.”

Done speaking the android clicked off the window leaving it cloaked to blend in with the rest of the wall. 

Draped across the open space of his crossed legs, Ember turned her focus back to Red and watched as he removed the items he hid in her shirt earlier in the examination room. A large broken piece of black bone from the Probosi’s horn rested in Red’s hand along with a strip of fur. Looking up to his watchful orange gaze, Ember understood the unspoken message. He had a plan for these a plan that she could only hope that would help them escape.

Setting the piece of bone and fur underneath her in the empty space between his legs, Red grabbed her around her waist. Ember couldn’t help the tiny gasp of pain that escaped her lips as he lifted her higher into his lap so that she was leaning partially against his chest. His hands froze at her hips. With a dissatisfied noise he leaned forward and pulled at the hem of her thin white surgical gown. When she woke up that morning she was surprised to see that the robots even bothered covering her with a gown as they performed their scans and dressed her wounds. Pulling up her gown, Ember tensed in the yautja’s arms as he let the pads of his large fingers brush lightly across the five bandages fanned across the side of her hip. On the other side of her hip were identical sets of bandages both sides matching the indentations of the yautja’s grip on her hips. 

Letting her gown drop back in place, Red sat straighter with a displeased grunt. Risking a glance upward, she was shocked to see his eyes glowing brighter and his small black pupils constricted even more so than normal. He was angry.

“Are you angry?” Leaning against his chest, she listened to the strong steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. 

The hand resting on her knee tightened reassuringly. “Yes, my mate, I am angry with my own lack of control with you.”

Ember thought about his words. His mate. He called her that repeatedly yesterday. Even despite how it ended yesterday between them the words still stirred a warmth inside of her. When the androids first took her away, Ember told herself all morning she wanted nothing to do with the hunter anymore, not after what he had done. At first there lovemaking had been wonderful—intense—but still wonderful. She could see his fight to hold on through the drug as he pleasured her and brought her to multiple releases. Even when she was sure he was lost in the throes of the stimulant there were glimpses of her yautja staring back at her through his wild eyes as he commanded her to come. It was only towards the end when her body was sore and threatening to collapse that she realized her Red was not in control any longer. His thrust became painful, her cries went unheeded, and his words stopped altogether. It was in that moment did she see the man—the creature—she had come to love with the same eyes that everyone else saw him as, a monster. The eight-foot beast no longer growled “his mate” continuously in her ear or wrap his hand around her and stroke her clit to ensure her pleasure as he found his. Ember had found herself scared and in pain, pushed to the ground as he dug his claws into her and rode her body to his release. She cried as the guards took her away, she cried out of shame, the hurt, and the feeling of betrayal. Seeing Red at that window in the examination room she was surprised at the immediate reaction she felt. All morning she had laid on that examination table as the androids administered healing salve to her vaginal tearing and sutured the wounds along her hips, with each sting of pain she swore her hatred to the yautja. But once she saw him fighting to get to her she couldn’t completely deny the feeling of desperate longing to be back in his arms even despite her fear for him. 

Pressing her face deeper into his chest, Ember idly let her fingers trace the indentations of his abs as her mind lost itself in her thoughts.

“It worries me when you do not speak constantly,” his voice held a hint of uncertainty that she had never heard from him before.

Opening her fist that was pressed in the crook of his arm, Ember captured the end of one of his long black dreads rubbing the tubular extension between her fingers. “I am not sure what to say, my mind feels empty but full of thoughts all at the same time.”

He let out a gruff exhale. “When we leave this place, I will atone for my weakness,” Lightly the large textured pads of his fingers ran gently over the bandages at her hip. “It is considered one of the highest dishonors to mistreat one’s mate as I have done with you. I will make amends for this.” He stated solemnly.

Leaning back, she stared back at his glowing primal gaze. As with all things, she could tell the yautja was serious, that he meant every word he said. Thinking of his words she tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look. “You called me mate…”

“Yes, because you are.”

Pursing her lips, she frowned at his ready agreement. “Because we had sex?”

Now his head cocked to an angle as he stared at her with an unreadable gaze. He answered evenly. “Yes. You belong to me.”

Frustrated she sat straighter in his lap, knowing he wouldn’t let her move away completely she settled for leaning away from the warmth of his strong chest. “Then I don’t want to be your mate.” Slowly, dangerously his orange stare narrowed as he stared down at her at her and Ember could feel her stomach drop at the intensity of his black beady eyes set within the bright glowing stare. “Not just for that…,” she exclaimed breathlessly at his intensity. “Not if you can’t love me…like I love you.”

Warm pressure from his hand cupped her face as he swiped away a falling tear. “Yautja do not love.”

Then there was nothing else to say. Turning her head from his hand, Ember stared off at the blank white wall on the other side of the room willing herself to not break down completely and cry. Raw, empty loneliness trickled into her heart, she hadn’t felt that way since her time in the orphanage.

Silence existed between them for a moment before he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to his chest.

Like a low thunderstorm in the distance she listened to his words from her position against him. “My thoughts have been overtaken with thoughts of you, little bird.”

Looking back up at him in her position she stared at the underneath of his mandibles, waiting for him to say something else.

Angling his head, to look down at her he gave her an impatient groan like growl before looking back up to stare directly ahead. “I find your persistent talking a comforting distraction. I desire you physically, I respect your ingenuity, and I also find that I admire your reckless fearlessness.” Looking back at her, Ember could practically feel the impatience in his expressionless face. “Is this not sufficient mate?”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Are you trying to woo me with sweet words, yautja?”

She could feel the vibrations of his deep chuckle and sighed when he lowered his head and nuzzled the side of her neck, lightly scraping his tusks against her. “Should I continue with more persuasion?”

Relaxing into him, Ember couldn’t hide her smile at the sense of flirting between them. “Of course! After weeks of stalking and pestering you I think I am owed a bit of wooing.”

Giving her a pleased growl, she was surprised a bit when he adjusted her within his arms so that she was practically laying against his bent thigh and knee like a child.

Eyes gleaming with an unreadable dark mischief he bent his head over her, letting his dreads form a private curtain around their faces. “I also like the taste of your cunt.”

“Red!” she squeaked, slapping her hands to the top of his closed mandibles in attempt to stop him from saying anything more. But he continued, his voice coming out from within his inset mouth.

“I will enjoy waking up each day to the taste of it before I start my hunt.”

Realizing she couldn’t stop him, Ember covered her eyes in embarrassment. She couldn’t believe the normally stoic beast was saying such lurid things. The feeling of his thick claws brushing at the hem of her gown startled her. Pulling her hands away she looked up to see his intense gaze. Nervously her thoughts hedged on how she should react to the subtle invitation. Involuntarily, she remembered the pain from last night. Stealing another glance at his watchful gaze she took comfort in the steadiness of his stare. It was nothing like the wild black eyes that stared beyond her last night as he forced himself into her battered body. Red was not that monster, that was a creature the androids made that wasn’t her Red. He had tried, she remembered his efforts to fight through the drug as he patiently worked her body up to arousal. She could feel the tight tension in muscles as he held her against that wall and rocked into her. He was holding back, he was fighting back. A monster wouldn’t hold back, someone who didn’t care for her wouldn’t gently ask for entrance to her body.

“You want me as your mate even though we cannot have children?”

“You are mine regardless of our propagation, little bird,” he answered possessively.

Ember watched the black pupils constrict in response to her softening gaze and she slowly parted her thighs. Gently, his hand accepted the invitation, gliding the flat of his callused scaled palm forward until he cupped the heat of her naked sex. Biting her lip, Ember tried to keep herself still as his hands slowly stroked through her folds. It was frustratingly slow, it was as if he was learning every intimate inch of her while only occasionally letting his thick fingers brush past her clit. Soon she was panting in his lap. Not caring anymore, her body arched and her toes curled against the cold floor as one of his hands pushed up her gown and worked her nipple while his other hand continued its slow assault.

She was so close but Red refused to give her more, she could swear she saw flashes of his evil intentions through his burning primal gaze. Knowing he was very much aroused underneath her back, Ember sat up with a growl of her own. Flinging off her gown she straddled his lap, his hands came up to her waist eagerly helping her adjust. Naked and facing him, Ember reached down in between them loving the sound of his chest rattle deeply in response. Moving the piece of leather to the side, Ember was shocked to feel the weight of his cock in her hand. Although she had felt every inch of him last night, it was different holding the hot heavy shaft in her hand. Softly, she let her fingertips brush past the tip of him. Red’s grip around her waist tightened slightly. Leaning down, he let his forehead rest against hers before opening his mandibles wide. Needing no further invitation, Ember met his tongue with her own and she could feel his satisfied groan vibrate through her. Like a battle between life and death they dueled their tongues against one another. Ember couldn’t stop moaning at the wonderful taste of him as his tongue scratched against hers. Those rings, those goddamn rings were so good. She could only pray he meant what he said before about wanting to taste her each morning. Pulling back for air, Ember gave the yautja a delirious smile in warning before she pushed herself onto the length of his cock. His grip around her waist tightened almost painfully as he helped push her down further.

“Red,” she cried as the cheeks of her ass finally rested against his thighs, taking him all the way inside of her. Both of his hands slid up the curve of her waist until he cupped both of her breasts. Leaning her backward, ignoring her grunt of adjustment against his cock inside of her, Red opened his mouth again before taking one of her breasts to his mouth. It was too much, she was so full and tight combined with the feeling of his rough tongue laving at her nipples, she was nearly at the edge. 

Grabbing the back of his head she laced her fingers together and pushed herself upward until just the tip of him was inside of her. “Do you like the possibility of me carrying our child?” She panted, enjoying the sight of him hold himself back as she hovered teasingly over him.

“Yes,” his deep growl thundered around her making her body quiver at the force behind his approval.

Not waiting a second longer, he forced her hips down until her ass slapped loudly against the top of his thighs. The overly full feeling didn’t last as he hugged her close and lifted her again only to repeat the process. 

“Oh god,” she cried bouncing at the rate he set. His growls filled the room as he kept up the maddening pace. “Fuck me, Red. Make me forget about this place. Make me yours.” She cried, leaning into the crook of his neck. She could feel herself nearing the edge. 

Letting out a shuddering scream, she fell limply against him as he continued to lift and push her body to his own roaring release.

Not wanting to disconnect herself from him, she wrapped her arms around his heaving chest and whispered. “No matter what happens, know that I love you.”


	9. Chapter 9

Walking into the lab six, Daniel was the first to arrive. The head technician directed him to come and get the subjects up and fed so they could begin phase two of the procedure. Results from this human subject and the yautja were promising. Orders from the director were received this morning to terminate all other subjects and focus all their resources on the subjects in lab six. 

The lights overhead automatically activated as he approached the main terminal in front of the one-way cloaked window. The sight of the massive yautja standing utterly still on the other side of the window made him pause. Daniel could understand clearly why these creatures were feared. Staring at the silent figure on the other side of the glass he couldn’t help the faint tremor of fear he felt as he stared at its small orange eyes. He and a few of his colleagues found it absolutely remarkable and equally disturbing that the human female actually harbored feelings for this creature. Watching her give herself to the yautja was disturbing to see but fascinating all the same. 

Ignoring the creature, Daniel looked past him to the human curled up on the elevated table. When he left the lab last night the two were on the floor in the far corner of the lab vigorously copulating. Pulling up the scans from her collar, Daniel frowned as he read the error. No data. Looking back up, he noted her shallow breathing. Pausing he tried to think.

They could not take any risks at this stage.

Pressing the button on the control panel to his right he activated the window. The yautja didn’t even blink as their eyes met, it was as if he had simply been waiting. Holding down the mic button, Daniel spoke.

“Move to the table and spread your arms and legs yautja,” Daniel replicated the same tone he had seen the head technician use with the large creature.

Daniel stood up straighter as he watched the creature follow his command and begin to take a step backward. 

The gleam of excitement in the yautja’s small orange eyes was Daniel’s only warning. Faster than his mind could compute the yautja lunged into the air, his dreads arcing gracefully as he pulled back his right forearm over his chest holding something in his hand as he came down on the glass. The pointed object hit the center of the reinforced glass with a resonating clink. 

The glass shattered. 

The creature vaulted over the window’s edge, Daniel had no time to scream when he felt the creature’s claws swipe across his throat. Images of the creature stepping onto the broken glass in front of his face which was now on the floor was the last thing his mind processed before—everything—went dark.

 

Ember couldn’t believe it worked. Last night, Red shared with her his plan for the Probosi’s fur and horn. Red had hunted probosi before and knew that their skin was thick and would work like insulation to her collar as well as their horns being some of the densest material in the universe. Excited and a little shaky she stepped carefully through the door to the lab Red unlocked for her. Picking up the dead android’s body, Red easily lifted his hand to the scanning pad to the right of the exit door and pressed it to the device. Locking them in, Red turned and began searching the lab. Carefully she tip-toed around the glass and began searching the other side of the lab. 

Going through the rows of tall white and clear cabinets, Ember stopped at the familiar sight of Red’s armor.  
Opening her mouth to call him over, the beeping sound at her neck made her jump. Looking up from a computer he was leaning over, Red looked at her expectantly and pointed to her collar.

“Take it off,” he signaled.

Cautiously, Ember grabbed the metal collar and sighed in relief as it unlatched and fell easily to her hands. Throwing the collar across the room she turned back to the cabinet. Finding her suit and helmet along with his armor she quickly shimmied out of the surgical gown.

“Red, your armor,” she called. 

Coming over to her, he grabbed his own gear snapping it on one piece at a time as he walked back to the computer terminal. Eyeing the silent hunter as he finished dressing, all the while staring at the monitor, Ember wanted to ask him what was next. Last night he only shared with her how he planned to get out of the lab, she had no idea what he planned to do beyond the doors. 

Again, she cast a curious glance his direction as she activated her suit, feeling it cling to her body reassuringly. He was still looking at the computer screen. Deactivating her helmet she let it slide into it ring casing before attaching it to her suit collar.

“Red, what are you…”

“Look for my weapons,” the terse command was given without so much as a turn of his head.

Offended she stomped forward. “First of all, you big crab-faced asshole I don’t take orders.” She didn’t even care if it wasn’t the best time to argue with the hunter, she would not be commanded like some dog.

Turning his head slightly over one of his massive shoulders, so she could see the profile of his face, he spoke. “When we leave here my mate I will properly teach you just how to take my orders.”

Heat rushed to her face, making her regret not putting her helmet on beforehand. Fidgety all of a sudden, Ember stepped backward. “Red are you flirting with me?! Now of all times?” 

Not waiting to hear if he would answer she turned back to the cabinets with a stupid grin on her face as she went to go look for their weapons. 

She was prying open what seemed to be a weapons locker when felt the heavy footsteps of Red come down the aisle of cabinets she was on. Next to a row of shelves holding tanks of various alien body parts, Ember found Red and her weapons stacked neatly alongside of other various weapons. Most likely the weapons from others beings the androids had captured. 

Looking up from the lock she was attempting to break, she had to jump back when she caught Red lift his heavy arm to swipe at the lock. With a sizzinlg screech the lock broke under his claws and the locker popped open.

“Guards are outside the lab,” he said deeply, attaching his throwing disk to his gauntlet and his swords to his belt, and lastly his plasma cannon to his shoulder.

Handing him his face mask, Ember watched as he snapped it in place the blue eye shields of his mask activating in a bright glow. Grabbing her own gun from the cabinet she checked the cartridge.

“Ok I’m ready, let me scan to see…,” Ember stumbled backward as Red began pushing her down the aisle. “What are you doing!?”

Shoving her into a corner, he pointed one jagged black claw at her. “Stay here. Do not move until I come get you.”

She was still processing the audacity of his words for a sharp retort when he grabbed a nearby cabinet and pulled it across the room with a deafening squeal along the floor. 

“Red,” she cried. Scrambling to maneuver around the cabinet before he jammed it in place, she felt his big hand push her in the middle of her chest nearly toppling her backwards. Hitting the wall with a “oomph” she watched hopelessly as he blocked her in.

“Goddammit Red!” She screamed, hitting the back of the metal cabinet. 

Wedged in the dark corner, Ember looked up to the triangle of open space at the top of the ten-foot cabinet. Bracing her feet, one against the wall and the other against the cabinet she began to crab walk up the wall when something heavy landed on top, cutting off the light leaving her trapped in the now pitch black corner. She couldn’t believe it, dropping back down to the floor she couldn’t believe he would trap her like this.

“Red what do you think you are doing?!” Ember couldn’t suppress the panic from her voice. Beating against the cabinet, that didn’t budge a bit, she stopped and strained to listen for him.

“You will be safe here, I will find us a way out and come back to retrieve you.”

“No,” she kicked the cabinet. “No, you can’t leave me…what if something happens to you…I can’t help you if I am trapped. Red please…” Tears tightened her throat as she thought of something happening to him while she was trapped in this corner.

There was no sound. Had he already left? Pressing herself tighter against the cabinet she strained to listen.

“I will not die. Nor will you my mate.” Ember jumped at the sound of muffled gunfire near the front of the lab. “Wait here. Do not make a sound. I will come back.”

Loud reports of gunfire blasted through the room. Ember covered her mouth with both hands to keep from crying out as she heard Red’s animalistic roars. The sound of fighting seemingly all around her was deafening. Helpless she sank against the wall clutching her rifle and waited.

#

Using only his arms the android in the white jumpsuit pulled his legless torso slowly across the destroyed lab. This was another lab that looked exactly like the lab Akur had been imprisoned in. Beyond the viewing window to the containment area Akur could see two dead bodies, a female Zantrex and another Probosi. Looking back to the android, Akur walked slowly behind him with one of his swords in hand, still dripping with the synthetic’s milky white fluids. White twitching organs along with long thin filament circuitry spilled from the open torso dragging across the floor leaving a wet white path in the android’s wake. Stopping against the wall the android looked around desperately realizing he was trapped. Heaving himself onto his back the synthetic gave him a disgusted look as one of his eyes flickered on and off, glowing yellow before dying back to his normal blue eyes. The android was trying to link up to the mainframe, most likely to send a distress call or engage the ship’s self-destruct process. Akur felt the thrill of satisfaction as he watched the realization hit the android, he was unable to connect.

After killing the first wave of guards in black, Akur was taking cover around a corner giving his overworked cannon time to cool when he heard a familiar piercing battle cry of other yautja. Not wasting any time with the feeling of relief he tracked down his intended quarry.

“This will be the second time I break my vow to myself,” Akur said as he stood over the android in white, taking satisfaction that his once pristine look was ruined. A section of his blonde hair was missing from where Akur grabbed and lifted the man earlier before slinging him into a wall. “I told myself I would kill you…but I must think of the greater good of the yautja.”

Horrified realization passed through the android’s eyes as he stared up at him. Leaning down, Akur grabbed the synthetic again by a clump of his hair and brought his face closer to his mask.

Lifting his sword up, he readied it. “But you will not need both of your arms for our needs.”

#

There were growls coming from the other side of the wall. For what felt like eternity, Ember listened silently against the wall at the sounds. Her mind only worked against her as she sat there in the dark imagining different horrible scenarios of who—or what—the sounds belonged to. Were they the sounds of another animal-like hostage that escaped and was in the lab with her? Biting her lip, she clutched her rifle tighter to her chest as she waited.

The growls grew louder, but still muffled through the thick fortress of cabinets. It almost sounded like a conversation. Were there two creatures in here with her? Heart hammering against her chest, Ember tasted the coppery tang of blood from her lip.

The growling stopped suddenly and Ember’s eyes went wide as she felt the heavy footsteps on the ground approach the cabinet.

“Human, are you injured?” Ember jumped at the deep voice coming from the other side.

Another series of growl like speech sounded again.

“Human answer me,” the voice commanded.

Unsure what to do she stood up, wanting to be ready to react. 

“Go away,” she yelled.

“We smell blood human, are you injured?”

Why would it care? Licking her wounded lip, she answered. “No.”

“Akur has told us to keep guard over you until he returns.”

“Who?” She didn’t understand what they were saying. The first part of their statement was garbled and indiscernible. Who told them to keep guard over her?

“Akur,” the voice repeated.

“Your mate,” another voice, presumably from the second set of growling she heard before answered. His tone held little patience in it.

Her mate? Were they talking about Red, did they know him? “Do you mean Red? Where is he?” Ember pressed herself closer to the cabinet’s thick back. “Who are you? Are you Yautja?”

“Yes. We followed his ship’s distress location.”

“And you are just now getting here?” she couldn’t hide the criticism from her tone.

“It took time,” this time the surly one grumbled.

“Your tracking systems suck,” she snorted. They had been here for days now and they were just now finding them. She found Red in seconds compared to them. Top hunters her ass.

There was silence and Ember feared she may have pissed them off. She was thinking of what to say next when the cabinet above her screeched loudly across the other cabinet before being drug away, letting light shine into her corner.

“What are you doing?!” Panicked, she held up her gun to the hole. This could all be some sort of trick, the androids trying to trap her. But that didn’t make sense. Why would the androids even bother with trying to trick her? The arrogant robots would have just come in and grabbed her again.

“We scent blood. This cabinet has bullet holes. We will see for ourselves the severity of your wounds,” the surly one growled out evenly, as if talking to a child.

The cabinet in front of her began to move “No! How do I know you won’t rip my spine out?”

The cabinet stopped moving. There was silence on the other end before a long and seemingly frustrated growl was unleashed. “You are mate of Akur, we would not hurt you.”

“Besides, you would be a pitiful trophy,” she was starting to really hate the other yautja.

With one final jerk the cabinet was slid away completely. Squinting at the sudden light, Ember stared at the two hunters. For the most part their armor looked the same as Red’s and they also lacked the body netting some hunters wore. Eyeing their markings on their skin, she realized they were similar to Red’s as well. One had blue markings and the other had white markings.

Standing in front of her, side by side, the hunters simply stood unmoving staring at her. Lowering her gun, she took a tiny step forward. 

“Where is Red?”

“If it is Akur you speak of then he is with the others clearing out the remaining of the androids from this ship,” It was the one with the blue markings that spoke.

Confused she looked between the two. “Others? Other yautjas?”

Shaking his head with an impatient growl the hunter with white markings crossed his arms and looked at the other hunter. “Akur’s mate is of slow wit,” turning back to her with a sarcastic cock of his head he addressed her directly. “Yes human, as we said before other yautja.”

Her patience with him snapped. Stepping daringly forward, she stopped a hairs breath away from him and looked up. “I am getting tired of your attitude you giant asshole. I dare you to repeat that to me this time without the mask so I can break your fucking mandibles off.”

Stepping back quickly, the yautja reached up to his mask and yanked it off with a threatening snarl. Tiny furious white eyes set deep under his browbone burned with need for a fight. He was stepping forward when the other yautja hooked his thick arm under his neck stopping him from going any further. Holding him back the yautja with blue marking yelled something in their language at the furious white eyed hunter. Meeting his glowing white gaze directly, Ember smirked and flipped him off before breaking out into a run. 

Combined roars of anger shook the hallway as she leapt over dead android bodies and ran down the long hall, back towards the main docking bay. Reaching the opening mouth of the hallway, Ember slid to a halt at the greeting sight. Twenty, no thirty or more hunters were littered around the large open docking bay some standing with their weapons out, some piling various dead bodies. But all of them stopped and looked up when they saw her. A tense silence filled the air as each one of them stared at her.

Heart beating out of her chest, Ember whirled at the movement in the corner of her eye. 

A hunter without a mask stared at her. His yellow evil glowing eyes contrasted beautifully off his shiny black skin. Only the gold salamander-like stripes broke up the midnight black scaled skin. He was beautiful, but as she stared into those hate filled eyes she knew he was not good.

Lunging for her he growled. “Come here!”

Stumbling backward, she barely escaped his claws grabbing for her. Piercing roars sounded just behind her from the hallway and she knew it was the two she just run from. Other angry growls started around her in the large bay and Ember felt as if she was being surrounded. Terrified she activated her helmet as she scrambled backward into the openness of the room, the center of the room. Her helmet locked in place with a loud click as the two hunters from the lab suddenly grabbed the salamander hunter holding him back and away from her. Movement from all around her alerted her scanners as she could sense the other hunters tightening their position around her and stepping closer. Desperately, she glanced around for him, for the familiar red markings of her hunter. But he wasn’t here. 

Taking a deep breath, she activated her camouflage—and she ran.

#

Sudden yelling prompted him to run as he carried the android’s damaged torso. Stopping at the entrance to the docking bay Akur stared at the other members of his clan looking frantically around the bay. Looking to the far right, Akur dropped the android’s body when he spotted his brother and cousin fighting with the young recently blooded warrior Baäl. Anger, white and hot coursed through him as he ran over to the two. 

They turned on their heels when they sensed him approaching and immediately backed up ready to defend themselves. 

Ignoring the youngblood Baäl, Akur faced the two other hunters head on. “Why are you not with Ember?!”

Loud enough for everyone to hear Baäl stepped forward with a growl. “Your human ran from us, cloaked in our technology.” 

Whipping his head towards the hunter, Akur suppressed a snarl at the young hunter’s tone. Looking back up to his brother for confirmation he wanted to fill the air with his anger when he watched Koga nod. He wanted to ask what happened. What made her run? But he couldn’t waste the time. Turning away he pulled up his scans of the ship and the outside perimeter.

“There are no other ships,” another hunter stated. “And our scans cannot pick up her cloaked presence.”

“It is as if she disappeared,” another younger hunter standing near the wall stated.

Ignoring them, Akur walked over to an open terminal along the wall and pulled up the ship’s outside feed. Rewinding it all the hunter’s in the room watched as a figure appeared on the ship’s outer surface and ran to a ship docked in between to large thruster turbines. The footage was stamped four minutes ago. Turning from the terminal, he felt the presence in the room change. Turning around everyone in the room stood straighter, including himself when the taller hunter walked through one of the open halls into the docking bay flanked by two guards.

All heads bowed once with formality at the sight of the clan leader. Stopping in front of him, the leader turned and eyed the damaged one-armed torso of the android silently staring back at him before turning to Akur directly.

“I am told you have chosen a mate, Akur,” Rakkah’s voice was clear and even.

Nodding formally again at the direct acknowledgment, Akur looked up to the hunter. “Yes.”

“A mate who is with child due to these android’s experiments with you both, is that correct?” They both looked over to the android who stared at them with an air of inhuman calculative assessment. 

Feeling the room tense at his awaiting response Akur nodded. “Yes.”

Grumbling growling murmurs filled the room. 

“And now she has managed to escape a room full of our finest hunters using a version of our own technology.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement of shame. Every hunter flinched at the barb.

“My leader,” Baäl spoke from behind Akur and it took all of his control not to turn around and rip out the cocky youngblood’s throat.

Looking to Baäl, Rakkah acknowledged him wordlessly. Akur could see his guards tighten their grip on their spears. They hated the youngblood as much he did.

“I believe we should hunt this human down and breed her as much as her body will allow.”

The words only had time to hit the air around him before Akur turned swiftly on his heel. Blinking once, the young hunter lost momentarily sight of the older hunter before he appeared again in front of him. It was too late, his guard wasn’t up and he had no way of blocking the movement. A large clawed hand clutched at the tough skin of his neck and hauled him up an over the hunters back. Baäl landed with a crashing thud on his back. Akur’s knee came down and crushed at his sternum as his fist connected with the younger yautja’s face. Grabbing the offending hand before he could give the second blow, Baäl worked to kick the older hunter off of him but he was too fast. His other fist came down unencumbered and landed hard into the side of his face, Baäl felt a tooth come loose.

“That’s enough,” Rakkah’s voice was deceptively calm but both hunters could hear the lethal command in his tone.

Disengaging from the youngblood with a warning snarl, Akur turned back to Rakkah and nodded letting his head stay lower a few seconds longer in silent respect for the leader for his anger. Akur could hear the other hunter pick himself off the floor behind him. 

“We will remember your words when the time comes for you to choose a mate Baäl, we will see if you still hold the same opinion.”

Baäl said nothing.

Turning back to Akur, Rakkah continued. “Find your mate and bring her home.”

Thinking about the hunter’s words about his mate, Akur looked at the unreadable eyes of his leader. “I will not allow anyone to touch her,” the statement was thrown down like a gauntlet for all to hear even the leader. He would kill anyone who would try and hurt her.

Walking over to the half android on the floor Rakkah bent over and picked it up by the hair. Lifting it up he examined the synthetic lifeform before lowering it and walking back to Akur with the android still in his grip. Laying one hand on Akur’s shoulder Rakkah gave a low pleased growl. 

“This,” he lifted the android slightly. “And your mate are our clan’s future. She is a part of our clan now. She is family. Find her Akur and bring her to the safety of our home.”


	10. Chapter 10

Picking his way through the overgrown vines, Dart made his way to her near the stepwell and sat down with an exaggerated sigh. 

“So, why here of all places?” he asked testily, swiping at the dirt on his pristine navy-blue space suit. “We could have met at a nice cozy bar somewhere instead of on a dead planet that forced you to put up an atmospheric shield just so we don’t sleep to death.”

With her arms stretched behind her holding her back propped up, Ember let her head lean back between her shoulder blades and stared up at the two suns. Being outside again felt beautiful. The warmth to her skin, the freedom of it all felt so good. When she made it back to the Plover her system read that she had been in that experimental prison for five days. 

Five days. It only took five days for her whole existence to change.

Using a good portion of her fuel, Ember pushed her ship past the recommended safety of jumps through space as she fled that ship. Just remembering the angry yellow eyes of that yellow striped yautja and the others surrounding her made the hairs on her arms stand on end. They all seemed so perplexed and angry with her. She couldn’t stay there she couldn’t risk being captured and trapped again. Although even as she thought it she regretted her decision. In her moment of fear induced flight she ran from the only one she wanted to be with. Furrowing her brow, her mouth set into a scowl as she rebelled against the guilty thoughts. Why should she be angry with herself? She should be angry with that big red idiot for breaking his promise to her. He said he would come get her, not send two other yautjas. 

Sensing Dart’s eyes on her she turned her head and opened her eyes. With one eyebrow lifted in a speculative point, he stared at her.

“What?” she asked, knowing full well what he was waiting for. Leaning forward she clapped the dust off her hands and swished her feet around in the cold water.

“Are you going to tell me what’s up or not? You called me crying, and to point out I haven’t heard you cry since the orphanage. You said you messed up and you needed to talk. So here I am with a case of Coolsidemoons and a nice muscular shoulder for you to lean on baby-girl.” He wiggled one shoulder suggestively with a smirk.

Laughing she put her elbows on her knees and stared out into the water. “Well it’s a pretty long story…”

Looking over to him to see if he was listening, Ember smiled as she watched him lay down with his arms crossed behind his head, ready to listen.

“Regale me darlin.”

And so, she did. She told him every detail about the experimental facility up until the breakout. Ember only left out one detail, a detail she nearly missed herself as she ran out of the lab, but that detail was personal. 

Sitting up with a jerk, Dart turned to her and gave her a look she had never seen before. Sometimes she forgot that Dart was actually a quite notorious criminal in most of the known galaxies. Growing up with him, her mental image of him would always be of the smiling kid who helped her break into the head mistress’s office at the orphanage or the joking bar-fly of every seedy space port in the Cyclon galaxy. But the hard look on his handsome face now was not one she imagined seeing.   
“Fuck Ember,” he cursed as he scooted closer to her wrapping one long arm around her shoulder bringing her close to lean into his chest. “Fuck I had no idea…goddammit that pisses me off.” Looking down at her he gave her an angry glare. “Didn’t I tell you not to go chasing after that thing!”

With a groan she rolled her eyes as he gave her a firm shake as he vented.

“I told you back at the bar, to just let that hunter go. But no, you never listen to me, I swear to god you could have been killed or…”

“Stop,” she cried shoving at him. He stopped talking but he didn’t budge from his spot. “I don’t want to be lectured I want to be consoled! And how dare you tell me `I told you so’ right now!”

Letting her go he held up his hands in apology. “Fine, fine, I am sorry. Come here let me comfort you,” he cooed with exaggeration, pulling her unnecessarily tight to his chest. Ember couldn’t stop the smile that broke through her defenses. Leaning his head on top of her head he spoke. “So, if you’re this upset that you left why did you leave?”

“That is a good question, my mate.”

They both heard the dark tone and froze. Turning to look over their shoulders they watched the distorted light come in to focus. At eye level with his knees they both looked up to see Red’s burning orange eyes.

“Aw fuck,” Dart groaned.

Her words were still stuck in her throat when Red leaned forward and grabbed Dart by the back of his neck yanking him up and off the ground. Red’s other fist connected with Dart’s face so fast Ember could barely process the blur of movement. Blood sprayed from Dart’s nose and Ember screamed jumping to her feet.

“Red stop!” 

Red ignored her. 

“That was cheap,” Dart rasped as he grabbed for his gun on his waist.

Pulling his arm back, Red threw Dart’s body with almighty force. Soaring out and beyond the atmospheric bubble, Dart landed with a sickening thud in a grouping of bushes.

“Oh my god,” running up the stairs of the stepwell Ember tried to run after him but the large hand on her upper arm swung her back around.

Facing the angry yautja, Ember began hitting his chest. “How dare you throw my friend!” she screamed as Red caught both of her fists with pathetic ease.

“You run from me when I told you to stay put. You run across five galaxies and I find you in the arms of that male!” Red roared picking her up by the waist and holding her directly in front of his face.

Ember had to swallow at the sudden lump of nervousness in her throat. Staring face to face with the angry yautja she watched as his mandibles flexed in and out in a way she had never seen before. He was really angry with her.

“Technically you were the one that broke your promise,” she murmured, letting her gaze dance around him nervously, anything to avoid looking at the two burning coals he called eyes. “You said you would come get me, but two weird hunters showed up. And then another hunter, a black and gold one, tried to grab me and the others started…”

Setting her down to her feet, Red kept ahold of her shoulders. “And this makes you run to him,” pointing to the direction where he threw Dart beyond the atmospheric field.

Ember took a deep breath and forced herself not to cower to the beast’s threatening tone.

“Dart is my friend, I grew up with him at the orphanage. Of course, I am going to run to my friend when I find out I’m pregnant and just survived imprisonment by psychotic android’s.”

Red stiffened. Giving him a level stare, Ember couldn’t deny she took great pleasure in the hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

“You knew?”

Crossing her arms, she stepped backward from him and stared at the gleaming water in the stepwell. The sun sparkled off the blue water beautifully. 

“Yes, I was wondering what you were looking so hard at in the lab I took a glance at it as I ran out from those two weird hunters you sent to look after me.”

Stepping forward to close the gap she placed in between them, Red let out a gruff huff of air. “Those two weird yautja were my brother and cousin.”

Twisting her lips, she gave him a disgusted look. “Even the asshole with the white eyes?” She certainly hoped he was lying.

“That is Tyrnn, my cousin.”

“I hate him.”

Making some indiscernible noise, he pulled her shoulder towards him crowding her body against his big warm chest. “He is your family now.”

Family. The word made her chest constrict. Looking back through the atmospheric shield she squinted and saw Dart’s hand sticking out from the bushes. Worried she stepped forward again to try and check on him.

Red’s warning growl and hands tightening around her shoulders stopped her. 

Snapping back around to him, she shoved at him and pointed to Dart’s unconscious body. “You just threw my family like a sack of beans out into that killer forest!”

“He is fine. The human is simply asleep from the toxins.”

“He could be hurt, we should…”

“You are evading the subject! I do not care about that human’s life I only want you. I want you to look at me and only me. I want you to acknowledge our child growing inside of you. And I want to know why you ran from me!”

Taken aback, Ember tried to recall a time Red had ever spoken that many words at once and so fast. The only time she could remember was the time in the lab in the dark when she could only see the orange glow of his eyes. She scowled at him. Why was it he only ever talked a lot when he was angry with her? 

Shaking away from his light grip on her shoulder she stepped back and looked at the sky, avoiding his gaze. “I ran because…I ran because I am scared. I am scared of being pregnant. I was scared of all those hunters staring at me like I was a rare zoo animal.”

Giving off a growling sigh, she heard him shift among the fallen brush on the ground. “They only stared at you that way because I told them you were with child so to ensure that when they encountered you they would be careful.”

“Careful? I am not even in the stage to worry about being handled with care…at least I don’t think.”

He said nothing to that and stepped around her to circle her slowly. “You have yet to answer my concern my mate, why did you run here to this planet? Why did you run from me?”

Annoyed at him she flung the truth at him. “Because I don’t want you to just want me because I am pregnant. I want you to want me because you love me.” 

Clenching his fists, he stopped circling her and stood still. “I thought we have discussed this.”

“I know but…” Looking at him in that moment Ember felt so utterly human. The annoyance in his eyes about the renewal of this same topic was clear. Circular logic did not exist in a yautja mind only efficiency and action. His mind probably had no clue how to deal with her fixation, her need to be loved by him. It scared her honestly. Knowing that they may never see eye to eye on something so basic and important for her, Ember let her shoulders deflate and she opened her mouth to apologize.

“You want to know if you are my weakness,” he began, cutting her off before she could begin. “Has it not already been evident, my little bird.” Grabbing her by the shoulders he bent forward until his mandibles scraped gently on the side of her cheek. Ember felt as if her knees would go weak then and there at that sweet gesture. “My thoughts are filled with you when I should be focused. I’m physically pained at the thought of harm to you. It feels as if I have somehow allowed my vital organs to walk outside my body unaccounted for and unprotected. And now with our child inside of you the feeling has doubled. So yes, my little bird, you are my weakness you are a living marker as to where to strike to kill me. If this is the definition of love, then I indeed love you.”

Tears fell from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him lift her up. Kissing the side of his face she could feel him lower her to the ground.

Shocked, she leaned back and gave him a wide-eyed look. “You don’t intend to…”

“I do my mate,” he answered simply.

“But poor Dart is…”

Laying her down in the grass Ember felt a thrill of anticipation run through her as she watched him bracket her head with his two heavy arms on either side of her head against the ground. 

“If I hear you speak his name again my mate I will walk over there and put my blade to his throat,” his dark threat vibrated her body as he nuzzled her breasts through her suit. 

Nodding she mentally made a note to drag poor Dart back to his ship, after they were done of course.

Arching her back as Red unzipped and peeled down her suit she smiled up at him. She loved this hunter.

#

“Oh my God you live in pyramids!?” Ember squealed next to him.

Stepping out of the hangar Akur watched Ember run giddily along the railings, viewing down below to the city. It took a week to get to his home planet Ojibwe. During that time on his ship, Akur took the opportunity to learn every inch of his mate’s body. Although he would never admit it he would miss that brief time alone on the ship floating through the beautiful nothingness of space listening to the sounds of her cries of release. Now that he was back home with his mate, he would have to be on guard. Even now as they walked down the stairs to the city he could see other hunter’s curious stares regarding his mate. 

He didn’t like it.

At the first landing down the stairs, two familiar figures stood waiting, Koga and Tyrnn.

“Uggg this one again,” Ember complained loudly enough for Tyrnn to hear. Ignoring Tyrnn’s angry growl in response, she turned back to him and gave him a serious stare. “Can we not get rid of him somehow?”

Akur didn’t get a chance to answer.

Folding his arms over his chest Tyrnn gave Ember a narrowed look. “Get used to me, I live across from you.”

Akur ignored her shocked look seeking confirmation at his cousin’s words.

“I also live next to you, mate of Akur,” Koga added helpfully.

“Oh,” Looking up to his brother Koga, as if she just realized he was there she gave Koga a large smile. “Ok then well that’s cool, I like you and you can call me Ember by the way. But I hate that one.” She pointed to Tyrnn with her thumb over her shoulder.

Tyrnn’s eyes shined bright with anger even in the sunlight as they finally made it down all the steps and walked the perimeter of the city towards their home near the river.

Deciding to intervene between the two, Akur looked down at his mate and did his best not to laugh at the mischief in her eyes. She was already very good at riling Tyrnn up and enjoying doing so. 

“Tyrnn and Koga are family, they will look out for you and the child whenever I am not around.” It was true, there would be some occasions where he could not be with his mate and Akur needed to know she was safe.

“I thought you said it wouldn’t be dangerous living here?” There was a soft wary innocence to her voice that made him want to take her in his arms.

They both ignored Tyrnn’s snort.

“I have no fears that others in our clan will hurt you and I have no enemies here…”

“What about the black and gold hunter?” She added quickly.

“He is not an enemy.”

“He is an idiot,” Koga supplied. “But even he is not foolish enough to hurt you in any way.”

“Only because I am the hope of your clan, right?” she gave them all a gloating smirk as she rubbed her still flat stomach with pride.

Tyrnn was the first to react. “You are no hope human. We have the information from the lab and the android technician told us the name of the doctor who is responsible for this breakthrough. Even as we speak hunters are being sent out to find this doctor and bring her back here to oversee the results of her work. There will be more women, you are not special.”

Not even reacting to his tirade, Ember turned to Akur and pointed back to Tyrnn dismissively. “You call that family? I would have more support from a steak knife and a rusty spoon.”

Koga did not try to contain his deep laugh as they walked up to the entrance of their home. Akur let out his own laugh as he watched Tyrnn angrily punch in the letters for steak knife on his arm unit to find the meaning. 

Opening the door, they walked into the common area of the pyramid. Ember’s wonderous gasp pleased him as she stared at the water fall coming down the middle of the sky light and falling into a deep well in the middle. Small trees and various plants surrounded the well forming a small courtyard. On each of the four sides of the pyramid was a door each leading to their own units. Each unit was four stories, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two large living spaces and a kitchen area.

Running in and out of their unit and back to the common area Akur and his brother watched her dizzying excitement while Tyrnn sat moodily on the lip of the well.

“Oh my God…I…I can’t believe it…I mean I had no idea…”

“Why is this cause for this much excitement human?” Tyrnn growled as he stared at her. “What did you think we lived in?”

Ignoring him completely, she looked to Akur and Koga and thought about it. “I guess I thought you either just lived on spaceships or lived underground.”

Akur knew she was thinking “like crabs” and he made mental note to punish her later for that thought. 

“If anyone is the savage here human it is you,” jumping up from his seat Tyrnn stalked over to his mate and stood imposingly in front of her. 

Akur could see the light of a new challenge ignite in his mate’s eyes as he watched the younger hunter bluster before the tiny human. Koga shared a knowing look with him as they watched the interaction.

“It was yautja who taught your planet of apes everything you know. We were…”

Not to be intimidated, Ember closed the distance between them and jabbed her finger into his chest with every syllable. “First of all, if anyone in here is the savage it’s you and your shit-ass personality. And second of all the only thing yautja have over humans is cool technology and frankly I personally think I have got you beat even there.”

Tyrnn’s snarl was cut short when they heard the main outside door open. Walking in with just one guard Rakkah stopped and looked from Akur to the two standing near the waterfall.

“It’s convenient you are already discussing what I came to…”

As soon as her eyes landed on their leader Akur could feel every cell in his body warn him of her reaction. Immediately, he remembered her words to him when he was standing in the ventilation system of that palace on his hunt. “ I remember him clearly. Like you, he didn’t wear the full body netting like other Yautjas do and his skin was a light tan with dark brown…”

“Its you!” she screamed, before rushing past Tyrnn and launching herself against the leader.

Possessiveness ignited hot and bright through Akur as he watched her arms wrap around the exposed waist of their clan leader. Iko, his guard, stood by Rakkah’s side shocked and confused obviously unsure what to do as he looked at their clan’s only pregnant female and their leader who stood stiffly, enduring the human hug.

Walking heavily over to them, Akur pulled at his mate’s shoulders and hauled her back against his chest and looked down at her in silent warning. As expected she ignored him and smiled back at Rakkah.

“Do you remember me? You saved me on Faulk9 years back, you were…”

Nodding, Rakkah cut off her rambling. “You are the human child who followed me through the forest?”

Practically jumping up and down beneath his hold, Akur tightened his grip around her to keep her from launching herself back onto Rakkah.

“Yes! Oh my God I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you are here.”

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Ember to calm down and finally listen to Rakkah’s reason for visiting. Once everyone was gone, Akur finally had his mate to himself again. Sitting in their bedroom she watched him perched from the edge of their bed as he sat down a plate of various fruits for her. Crawling across the cool black leather mattress to where he sat, Akur gave her a content growl of approval as she cuddled up to him, resting her head on his chest.

“I’m excited to start work tomorrow in the main palace,” she toyed with one his dreads.

Rakkah had informed them that he wanted Ember to work in their labs redesigning their cloaking technology as well as their scanning technology. Running his claws through her long soft hair he thought of what she had told him before about her dreams of designing armor while exploring space.

“You will not be able to travel the galaxies as you had dreamed,” he warned. He didn’t want her to be disappointed but she also had to be aware they could not risk her safety by letting her have complete freedom of space.

“I know that,” she turned her head and placed a kiss at his chest. 

Akur had to reign in his focus to keep from reacting to her stimulating gestures.

“Its not exactly how I dreamt it but its pretty darn close,” she continued. “Besides I will have you there…you will be here on planet with me, right?”

The worry in her eyes shined bright in the low light of their bedroom and Akur wondered not for the first time how he would have ever mated a yautja. Yautja women were strong, equally strong as men—if not stronger in some cases. They were not raised to be soft and inviting like Ember, nor would one ever worry for him like Ember. A yautja female would see it has the ultimate weakness in her counterpart if she had to worry about her mate. Gently, he turned her over until their positions were reversed. Hovering above her flat stomach he stared at the flesh and imagined it swollen with his child. When he first read the data on the screen in the lab, Akur wasn’t sure he was reading it correctly. Over and over again, he reread the information. A positive result yielding pregnancy. His woman, his Ember pregnant with his child. It was the knowledge of that fact that gave him the extra strength he needed to fight off the waves of guards. When he heard his brethren breach the ship he felt relief like he had never felt it before, his clan would keep her safe if not for the fact that she was his chosen mate but for the fact that she was pregnant with yautja seed.

“Yes, my mate I will be here,” he reassured her as he ran the palm of his hand up and down her stomach. “I have been tasked with heading the operation to find the doctor who discovered the technique for propagation and finding out more information about that lab we were held in.”

“Good,” she sighed, pulling him upwards to her face. 

Knowing what she wanted he opened his mouth for her and tasted her tongue. His loins grew heavy at the prospect of seeding his mate again. 

“I love you,” she whispered as he pulled off her clothes.

Licking her neck, he said what he truly felt. “And I love you as well my mate.”

 

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> There is an exclusive chapter that will be email only. http://eepurl.com/dCjc6X

**Author's Note:**

> You can read all of my "real" work on https://www.amazon.com/Katerina-Winters/e/B01ACQL38Y  
> For all of my fanfiction work you can find the master list on my Tumblr http://katerinawinters.tumblr.com/


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